Final Fantasy VIII: Dimensional Legend
by Nightfire04
Summary: Chapter 67 uploaded. Darius meets with a personal contact for information regarding suspects of Lindsey's murder following a late night conversation with one of his squad members. Third in the Clouded Horizons series; original story set in the universes of Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X.
1. I, I, I: March For Glory

Welcome to _Dimensional Legend_. I decided a bit of a foreword was in order this time, because this story is on a whole different playing field than the previous two in this trilogy. Most of the storyline from this story comes from a series of roleplaying events with fellow authors Iron Reaver and Daniel Wesley Rydell, combining the world of _Final Fantasy VIII_ with some of the main cast from _Final Fantasy X_ / _X-2_, as well as many other characters created especially for the story. The occasional bit of story comes from my own mind, in order to fill in the few inconsistencies we left while doing so.

The main reason that this story differs so much from my other two is simple - larger scope. Along with that, liberties had to be taken with things such as combat, magic systems, etc., in order to make the story more of a story and less of an exercise in game mechanics. Obviously, applying RPG mechanics and numerical values to characters doesn't work very well for purposes of a story, so we tried to find a middle ground in terms of "logical and reasonable" while still attempting to tie in the original mechanics in other ways. For instance, certain spells in this story have varying power levels, and most of the "good guys" in this story will make full use of their power by amplifying their spells to deal more damage through expending more Mana, using magic that didn't necessarily exist in the actual game, even creating new skills and spells through their own experiences. If this were a game, the reason for these changes would be simple - a lot of the major enemies were very powerful. Some were less powerful, but had combinations of abilities that made them difficult to deal with or had some non-combat advantage over the heroes. In anything such as this, there are bound to be inconsistencies in things, but we tried to work most of them out as best we could, though I still expect to find them as I continue writing the story.

In terms of story, there are a vast amount of things that have been explained, altered, and generally changed to make a coherent storyline. Trabia Garden, for those of you who know _Final Fantasy VIII_, was destroyed by a missile attack. In this story, it has since been rebuilt, and serves as more than just a typical Garden, as you'll see. Characters that didn't necessarily have last names in-game were given them for aesthetic and story purposes. The _Final Fantasy VIII _characters do show up occasionally, but most of the story will focus around Ben, some of the_ Final Fantasy X-2_ gang, and many other characters created by us. When I say "many," I mean it; if my memory serves, Iron Reaver alone played over 40 different characters over the course of the roleplaying, as well as occasional typical characters such as Yuna or Rikku. Daniel Wesley Rydell played the fewest, but overall was more skilled at it than either of us. For a brief rundown, here are most of (I'll not say all, mostly because I likely won't remember them all) the characters that the three of us played over the course of the story.

Iron Reaver: Raj Ahten, Rubedo Alaberti, Onimaru Balthas, Andréa Beoulve, Ein Beoulve, Etchel Beoulve, Silvia Conrad, Zeo Conrad, Katal Corelia, Darius DeValle Jr., Darius DeValle Sr., Katanas DeValle, Revolver DeValle, Anita Drake, Frosty, Aiva Furello (shared with Daniel Wesley Rydell), Lindsey Geneave, R'shiel Harru, Miyuki Itsumi (shared with Daniel Wesley Rydell), Lancer, Leon Masters, Mystique, Ellie Night, Albel Nox, Odin (shared with myself), Ricard Sable, Seeker, Dealen Tormin, Jaden Tsiolkovskyi, Liou Valetti, Dmitri Yuriev.

Nightfire04: Benji Powell, Yuna Kaname (shared with Iron Reaver and Daniel Wesley Rydell), Rikku Katsuragi, Paine Zaraki, Shuyin Mishima, Lenne Kaibara, Tidus Kuroda, Tetsuya Kurabasa, Uriko Kurabasa, Yuki Kurabasa, Freya Vanadis, Xeios, Kisara.

Daniel Wesley Rydell: Liam Bayloh (Angel) / Angelus, Fayt (shared with Iron Reaver), Destine, Will, Locke Cole, Arragious Nicholai, Kitaras Nicholai, Sarek Matthews, Laguna Loire, Maya D'Angelo, Cid Kramer, Squall Leonhart.

You'll notice a lot of references to television shows, other video games, and generally an assortment of random other things that you may have seen in other places. This was typically deliberate (there were occasions where we wouldn't realize we had made a reference until after the fact, strangely), as a lot of our ideas and characters were inspired from other games and shows. There are a huge list of things that influenced the making of this story, including _Valkyrie Profile_, _Final Fantasy VI_ through _X-2_ /_ XI_ /_ Tactics_, the television show _Angel_, the _Star Ocean _series, _Full Metal Alchemist_, _Armored Core_, _Star Wars_, _Bleach_, _Riviera: The Promised Land_, the _.hack _series, and more. These things, among others, influenced a lot of the terms, characters, events, and other things that you might see. _Full Metal Alchemist_, especially, was a major influence on things for most of the story, as was _Bleach_, especially during later parts of the story.

For the most part, this story has a serious feel to it, but there are quite a few jokes and humorous moments to balance it out, most of which were made at my expense. My co-authors spent most of their time each attempting to outwit the other, which is where most of the plot itself comes from - my part was more character-driven, explaining interactions and nuances of the story that needed it. This story, like the others, will be rated T, but I'll say in advance that there may be certain events and parts that get graphic. There may or may not be, as it'll likely only be decided while I'm writing it, but consider yourself forewarned. Another note - this story will likely be long. _Very _long - likely a hundred or more chapters long. Chapter titles will follow this format in the navigation bar:

_Book, Part, Chapter: Chapter Title_

A typical entry may look something like this, therefore.

_I, II, IV: Title_

So, if you think you will enjoy it and have an interest in seeing it...then read on. I'll do my best to tell the story as we created it.

_~ Nightfire04_

* * *

_Final Fantasy VIII: Dimensional Legend_

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter I: March For Glory_

* * *

[Luca, Luca Stadium]

* * *

Luca Stadium.

The entire arena is packed with people, here for the first major fighting tournament to be held here. The blitzball season is over, and the circular sphere pool has been moved somehow, making the entire area one big, flat surface, except for a platform at the very back. A podium is standing on the middle of the platform, and several enormous sphere screens are situated around the now-closed ceiling of the stadium. Silently, our group files in through the entrance, and I hand several papers and 8000 Gil to one of the attendants, who ushers us ahead into the stadium.

"Look at all these people...there must be tens of thousands here to watch!" Rikku exclaims.

"Well, it is a fighting tournament. You know people can't resist watching a competition like this," I comment, chuckling.

"Are you scared?" Yuna asks, causing me to shake my head.

"Hardly anything scares me now. I can handle whatever these guys throw at me," I say with confidence.

"Just don't get in over your head," Paine says from behind us.

"I wouldn't really class anything that we've been through in the past year or so 'something we could handle,' you know," I retort, smiling.

"Gotta agree with him on that one," Tidus chimes in from beside me. "From what you guys told me, it sounds like you went through a whole lot."

"You have no idea," Rikku says, sighing. Glancing around, I take a look at the rest of our small group. Wakka and Lulu haven't said anything, electing to merely examine the surroundings, as are Shuyin and Lenne. The latter two seem almost awed at the surroundings, though Shuyin is doing a good job of hiding his amazement. Ahead of me, I can see several figures standing on the platform, fellow fighters who arrived before me.

"I can't wait," I murmur, turning to the rest of group. "I'm going to head over to the other fighters. Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Rikku says, kissing me quickly on the cheek.

"We'll be cheering for you," Yuna says.

"Ah, this thing's as good as mine!" I say, grinning. "Just leave it to me!" Giving them a thumbs-up, I begin to walk over to the platform to stand with the other fighters. Dressed in the blue and white garb of my Blade Knight dressphere, I stand out a bit more than the other fighters. I have Shinra to thank for that, really. He finally finished a Garment Grid that he claimed was the best of them all. Infinity. It lets all of us change to our special dresspheres whenever we like. Guess he figured we needed it, since we seem to get ourselves into trouble all the time.

"Hey, look at this...I didn't know they let children into this thing," a blond-haired fighter says, smirking at me as I approach. The fighter in question is a brute of a man, easily six feet tall and more than twice my size. Looks to be a martial artist of some sort, as I don't see any weapons on his person, but I can't quite tell. Striding up to the man, I look him dead into the eyes, the expression on my face as cold as the void of space.

"And I think you should refrain from mocking me, lest you eat your words later in the tournament," I say calmly, causing the fighter to scoff.

"And you're going to make me? Please."

"Your funeral," I say simply, walking over to stand on one side of the platform. I can hear a few of the fighters whispering things, but I tune them out, closing my eyes and beginning to go into a sort of relaxation in order to prepare. Other fighters begin to join us moments later, the number of fighters steadily increasing from a mere dozen or so to over forty, continuing to increase as still more fighters join. Finally, the count of fighters stops at a tally of sixty-four, and I smile, knowing that these are the toughest fighters that Spira has to offer.

Looking around the stadium, the entire crowd suddenly erupts into cheers as a man walks out, the arena going dim for an instant as a series of spotlights shine down on the podium and platform we're standing on. The man steps up to the podium, adjusting a microphone before beginning to speak, his voice echoing all around the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first annual Spiran Fighters Association Grand Championship!"

With those first words from the announcer, the crowd bursts into another round of cheers, the announcer waiting until the noises dies down before continuing.

"We welcome all the fighters who have decided to participate in the first of these grand events! Now, before we begin, I shall explain the rules of the championship. The tournament will be divided into 32 pairs of fighters and set into brackets, meaning that a fighter will have to win 5 fights to advance to the final round. There, a final fight will decide the grand champion. The winner of the tournament shall receive a grand total of five hundred thousand Gil!"

Inwardly, I whistle, noting the very large sum of money that I'm now fighting for. I can hear faint murmurs from the fighters standing beside me, but they are quickly drowned out by the roar of the crowd, the applause slowly settling down to allow the announcer to continue.

"The rules for the fights are as follows. Any attacks, spells, and weapons are allowed, _except for _healing magic. The audience is shielded by a barrier that prevents any energy from getting through, so you should have no fear of using your most powerful attacks. Items are not allowed, neither healing items nor attack. If a fighter is knocked down and does not respond by the end of a count of ten, the fighter has lost. In the event of a fighter's death, which we hope will not happen, we have a team ready that specializes in revival magic, so do not worry. That fighter will have lost the round, however. Any questions from the fighters?"

Almost as one, all of us shake our heads 'no'. We completely understand the rules, it seems, and most of us even seem eager to begin. Myself included, as a matter of fact.

"If there are no questions, then I shall direct your attention to the screen above," the announcer says, pointing to the top of the stadium. A large sphere screen is suspended there, and on it, we can see the names of all 64 fighters that have entered. A large bracket system is also set up, and I watch intently as names begin to fill the brackets, the announcer calling out each match-up as it is set.

"Number 7, Benji Powell, versus number 20, Catherine Stone!"

I snap back into reality as my name is called, glancing around the line of fighters to see if I can spot my opponent. As it is at the moment, I can't, and so I simply resume staring up at the screen, watching the match-ups closely. The adrenaline rush from simply being in proximity to what could possibly be the toughest fighters in Spira is overwhelming. I'm quite eager to see how I stand against some of the best fighters from around the world. The match-ups continue to be announced, until all 32 match-ups are finally decided.

"All of the match-ups have now been announced! The first annual SFA Grand Championship will now commence! Best of luck to all our fighters, and may the best fighter win!"

With those closing words, the announcer walks down from the podium, followed by thunderous applause and cheers from the gathered crowd. All of the fighters, myself included, begin to walk to a room in the back of the stadium, the waiting area of sorts. A large screen has been set up in the room, showing the outside so that we may watch the matches. I can hear the announcer call the first two fighters out, and I sit down in the room, staring up at the sphere screen in order to see what I might be up against.

* * *

A few minutes later, I have my answer. The fight was brutal. The two fighters seemed to be evenly matched at first, one fighter relying on magical attacks, the other using a bow with their attacks to devastating effects. The final strike came when the archer cast a Firaga, causing the mage to slam a hand into the ground, a Blizzaga sprouting from the ground as a wall of ice to block the attack. The mage then cast Ultima, blowing the archer off his feet to land unconscious on the ground a few meters away.

"Impressive," I mutter, looking up at the screen and watching the announcer declare the winner.

"Ah, you haven't seen me fight yet!" one of the fighters boasts, causing a girl standing beside him to hit him over the head.

"Just shut up, Jacob," a girl says, causing him to chuckle.

"You never let me have any fun, sis," he retorts, grinning. The girl just rolls her eyes, returning to staring at the screen with an apathetic look on her face. Another fight has nearly gone by in the time it took the two of them to finish their small argument, the referee counting out a fighter. The referee finally reaches ten, the fighter unable to pull himself back to his feet, and the referee holds an arm up, signaling the end of the fight.

"That was awfully..."

"Quick?" the girl finishes, looking over at me. "I'd expect nothing less from a tournament of this caliber. If you aren't prepared, you're gone. No questions asked. No one here will show mercy on you. There's no room for that in a tournament like this, because this is to prove who's the best. If you can't handle it, give up now."

"I never said I couldn't handle it," I reply defensively. "I think you're jumping to conclusions about me. First off, I've been in my share of fights. Secondly, I don't think I've ever seen a fight that short, nor that brutal. Just because I'm a bit surprised doesn't mean I'm scared. And if you're in this tournament, you should already know...underestimating people leads to defeat."

"Touche," she replies, folding her arms.

"Will fighter number 7 and fighter number 20 please report to the arena? Your match is set to begin now," the announcer calls over the speakers.

"Time for my first fight..." I mutter, standing up and beginning to head towards the door.

"Scared?" the girl asks, beginning to follow me out.

"You wish," I say, smirking and beginning to head down the hallway to the arena.

* * *

This opening was one of the things that I created for the story itself; initially, we had started the story in the world of _Final Fantasy VIII, _Gaia, and I felt that a bridge of sorts between the last story and this one was in order. It's my hope that the opening will be enjoyable, though only time will tell, obviously. As always, please read and review.


	2. I, I, II: Round One Begins

Well, with this chapter, the tournament officially begins! From this point on...it's gonna be brutal.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge  
_

_Chapter II: Round One Begins_

* * *

"Next up, a match that should have you on the edge of your seats! A fighter from Besaid Island, give it up for Benji Powell!"

The crowd's cheering is near deafening as I step out into the open arena, both of my swords sheathed on my back. Looking around the massive stadium, my face turns to a look of calm as I reach the center of the arena. A slight feeling of nervousness is beginning to grow in my mind, but I push it aside, instead focusing on the task at hand.

"And from the Calm Lands, his opponent, Catherine Stone!"

Approaching from the other side of the arena is a beautiful yet frightening girl, her midriff exposed by the short, black shirt she's wearing. A closer look reveals that the girl is dressed in nearly all black, a pair of black capri pants and high-heeled boots adding to the dark look. Along with the dark makeup, a stark contrast to her flowing blond hair, merely looking at her is making me wary.

"So, you're one of the infamous high summoners. I'll be honest, I expected you to be more...dangerous looking than this," she says, running her eyes up and down my body for a moment, a small smirk growing on her face.

"Rest assured...I'm quite dangerous. You'll find out very quickly," I reply, a small smile appearing on my face.

"I just hope you can keep up," she says, turning and beginning to walk back to her side of the arena. The eerie tone to her last words almost makes me freeze, her soft voice sounding remarkably deadly. Silently, I walk back towards my side of the arena, popping my knuckles and neck before grabbing one of the swords from my back and holding it with the tip facing down.

"Fighters ready!" the referee yells, floating above us in a hovering platform. Both of us nod our assent, and the referee slashes his arm down, signaling the beginning of the fight.

_(Play: Battle - Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht)_

Instantly, I explode from my position, sprinting towards Catherine with as much speed as I can muster, my sword held behind me as I prepare to slash across. With one fluid motion, Catherine unsheathes a sword of her own from her back, parrying my attack and lunging in like a fencer. Spinning around the attack, I bring my leg up in a snap kick, my foot bouncing off of Catherine's left arm as she blocks, then grabs my extended leg, kicking the other out from under me and causing me to land on my back. Rolling backwards, I evade a stab before flipping back to my feet, instantly meeting Catherine in a flurry of lunges and slices.

An overhead slash is deflected by Catherine's weapon, a quick snap kick flying over my head as I duck, lunging out with my sword to miss her by inches as she twists aside. Kicking my right arm farther down, she slashes outward, earning a small hiss of pain from me as she cuts into my shoulder. Spinning, I launch a heel kick, knocking her sword aside as she blocks the attack, then throws a palm into my chest, forcing me to stumble back. A vertical strike comes from Catherine now, clanging off my sword blade before she rips her sword to her right, slashing low. Jumping up, I lash out with both feet in a sort of drop kick, the unexpected attack knocking her down as I land on my back, wincing as I get up.

The both of us are back on our feet at nearly the same time, sizing each other up for another engagement. A spinning diagonal slash from Catherine causes me to move, strafing the attack to end up near her left side, casting a quick Fire spell into her side and creating a slight burn. A retaliatory Thunder spell catches me across the front of my shirt, a long tear in the fabric accompanied by a burn along the right side of my chest.

'_She's fast...faster than me, even. And there's no doubt that her magic is strong, too...she just hasn't bothered using any of her stronger spells yet.' _

"Let's take it up a notch. Haste!" I yell, jumping back as the magic flows through my body, enabling me to strike and move faster.

"My thoughts exactly," Catherine echoes, pointing her free hand at me. "Demi!"

The magic roars through my body, instantly sapping away a good amount of my strength and stamina, but leaving me far from beaten. Charging back in, I begin to strike with my Haste-enhanced speed, Catherine fluidly blocking every blow and dodging when the opportunity presents itself. A brief moment of surprise comes over me as to the skill she's displaying, but I quickly cast aside my shock and slam a fist into her stomach before leaping back.

"Flare!"

The beam of magic fires from my hand like a rocket, but Catherine gets her sword up to defend at the last moment, the energy beam hammering into her and shoving her back across the arena with an explosion of dust. Just as I prepare to attack again...

"Flare!"

An orange energy beam, exactly like the one I just fired, sails out of the smoke cloud and slams into me, hurling me back through the air to land hard on my back, the wind blown out of me with the impact. Coughing, I get back to my feet, watching Catherine approach again with her sword held at her side.

"You're pretty good...for a kid," she taunts, smirking. Eyes narrowing, I bring my sword in front of me, before slashing it out to my side and charging.

"Block this! Renzokuken!"

My first strike, an overhead slash, is deflected by Catherine's sword, but my second attack knocks the sword to the side, allowing me to slash viciously at her now-unguarded chest. The girl still shows incredible grace, dodging to make my strikes nearly ineffective. Four more strikes connect, however, digging shallow cuts along her midsection.

"You're done playing? Good," she says, seeming to not even feel the gashes on her body. "My turn." A leaping high kick snaps my head back, and a second punch doubles me over in an instant, a gash opening up along my left side from a quick following slash by Catherine. My feet leave the ground a moment later, Catherine spinning me and grabbing my arm to throw me through the air, an audible snap echoing through the air as I land awkwardly on my left arm. Gritting my teeth, the instinctive yell of pain comes out as a guttural growl mixed with a groan. With my entire left arm throbbing from the now-overwhelming pain of the broken bone, I get my bearings once again to find Catherine simply standing there, seeming to wait for me to recover.

Trailing a finger over one of the cuts on her stomach, she flicks some of the blood off, watching with an almost uncaring expression as blood continues to seep slowly from the line, leaving trails of crimson down her lower body.

"You're a joke. I don't know why you even entered this thing," she scoffs, shaking her head.

I choose not to respond, merely walking towards her, every step sending jolts of pain through my arm and side. The Haste spell has worn off now, and I flinch inwardly as a new thought crosses my mind.

'_If she has Haste...then I am well and truly screwed.'_

Sheathing my sword quickly, I aim with my right hand, a burst of fire flaring out of it and exploding on the dirt where Catherine is standing, the girl leaping high into the air to avoid the magical attack.

"Silence!"

Immediately, my magical power seems to lock itself, the status magic keeping me from casting anything. Catherine falls out of the air, a foot slamming hard into my chest and blowing me backwards onto the ground, feeling as if it cracked my sternum in the process.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!"

Coughing blood, I manage to get back to a kneeling position with my right arm, grimacing as I do so.

'_At this rate, I'm not going to make it past round one...'_

"Are you going to sit there, or fight?" Catherine asks, palm raised for a spell. "Flare!" The reddish-orange energy beam blasts towards me, kicking up sand and dust as it moves. Instinctively, I dive to the side, landing on the ground again as the Flare passes over me.

"I can't just keep dodging...I need to hit her, and fast," I mutter, standing up again. Focusing all my rage, my pain, and my strength, a red aura flares around my body as I call upon a power I haven't used in over two years in Spira.

"Hyper...Rush!"

The red aura continues to shine as I move like lightning, the Overdrive enhancing my speed and physical strength. Dashing up to her, my right hand slams hard into her face, her nose beginning to bleed even as I drive a knee into her stomach, stepping back and following up with a straight kick that throws her back and off her feet to the dirt. She begins to get back up, only to be met with an elbow to the face, followed by a soccer kick that tosses her through the air again. I can tell I only have another few seconds to keep the Overdrive active in, and so I let her get back up, before running and executing a spinning heel kick to her shoulder that spins her around. A popping sound lets me know that I dislocated her shoulder, and the red aura dims as I sink back to the ground, instinctively placing both hands on the ground to support me. That elicits a short cry of pain from me as the broken bone in my forearm has pressure applied to it.

"Told you...I was dangerous..." I gasp out, struggling to stay calm and alert. The blood loss from the cuts in my shoulder and side, as well as the broken part of my forearm have made my vision swim with pain. Catherine looks better than I do at this moment, but I've evened the odds now with theincapacitationof her left shoulder.

"...I underestimated you, I suppose..." she mutters, clenching her right fist tightly. Moving quickly, she picks up her sword from where it was dropped during my Overdrive, before racing at me. "Let's see how well you move now!"

Running on instinct and very little energy, I grab my sword from its sheath, standing up and spinning around a downward slice to her left before bashing the hilt of my sword into the back of her head. Instantly, she crumples to the ground, stars now dancing around her vision from the strike. Before she can get fully back to her feet, I spin, the heel of my right foot meeting the side of her head in a sweeping kick that knocks her unconscious. Seeing this, the referee moves over, beginning to count the fallen girl out.

_(End: Battle - Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht)_

"...Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, your winner by knockout! Benji Powell!"

I breathe a sigh of relief, wincing in the process, as the crowd begins to cheer. Shaking my head, I try to clear the blurs from my vision, nearly falling to the ground in the process, as several people dressed in white begin to move over to us. Two of them begin to help me out of the main part of the stadium, another two beginning to move Catherine out of the arena as well. The men take the two of us into an infirmary of sorts, where I can see a few other fighters sitting or lying on beds, medical personnel examining and beginning to work on cuts and broken bones as well. One of the medical personnel helps me lie down on one of the beds, beginning to examine my body for injuries.

"Long cut on the side, another on the shoulder, a burn on the chest, anything else?" he asks, and I nod.

"One of the bones in my left forearm was broken," I reply, wincing. "And I think she might've cracked my sternum...can't tell."

"Just stay still," he instructs, walking over to one of the many tables scattered around the large room. He comes back a moment later with an Elixir, handing the powerful healing drink to me. Slowly moving into a sitting position, I drink the concoction, feeling the cuts in my side and shoulder seal over, the burn on my chest also fading away slowly. The pains in my left forearm and chest remain, however, and the medical officer steps beside me, energy focusing around him for a spell.

"Curaga!"

The powerful healing spell covers me, and slowly, over the course of what feels like a minute, I can feel the pains ebb away, though they don't fade completely.

"I think that should do it. You won't be back at full strength for a bit, though, so just take it easy until the next match. There will be a 15 minute intermission between matches, and there are still around 13 more matches left to go in this round, so you should have plenty of time to rest up," the officer says, causing me to nod.

"Thanks," I reply. "Are we allowed to leave, or what?"

"You can leave, but as I said, take it easy until the next round to let the Elixir and Curaga do their work. You should be back to normal by the time the next fight is scheduled to start; just don't exert yourself too much until then."

Nodding, I begin to walk out of the large room, taking a look around at some of the other fighters as I leave. Some are being tended for burns, gashes, and a few are slowly waking up, or still unconscious. Walking out of the room, I stop to look at a map on the wall, detailing the entirety of the stadium. Luca's stadium is a lot more expansive than I first realized. The main arena is connected to a series of locker rooms, twelve in all, for use during the blitzball championships. Three hallways, one at either side and the back of the arena lead to more rooms, which are lounge areas of sorts. Hallways lead from the lounge area to equipment keeping areas in the back of the stadium, as well as a large room at the very back, which is the infirmary I just left.

"...I need a drink," I mutter, heading towards one of the lounge areas. The hallway is quite long, lined with pictures of winning blitzball teams from years past. Stopping, I glance up at a picture, showing the Aurochs holding the trophy from two years ago.

"They must've taken that picture after we finished Yuna's pilgrimage...pretty nice picture, too," I comment, continuing to head down to the lounge. Still glancing at the walls, I notice that several of the pictures show the Luca Goers, proving that at least they weren't all talk.

"Care for some company?"

A voice behind me causes me to stop, and I turn to see the approaching form of Catherine, now awake and looking none the worse for wear.

"Why not," I say, shrugging and resuming my walk. Stepping up beside me, the blond-haired girl easily matches my somewhat fast-paced walk, and the two of us enter the lounge together.

"That was a nice fight," I finally say, hoping to make some conversation as I head over to a vending machine along one of the walls.

"Thank you. I could say the same," she replies, leaning against the wall. Pulling out 100 Gil, I drop it into the drink machine, pressing a button and taking out a water from the bottom a moment later. Opening the bottle, I take a big gulp, turning back to Catherine.

"Thanks. You had me outmatched, though...for a long time. I think it was sheer luck that I managed to win that one," I admit, taking another swallow of my drink.

"You didn't seem entirely focused," she says, also walking over to the machine and depositing money for a drink.

"Truth be told, I wasn't," I say, shrugging. "I really didn't know just what to expect. And, really...I was pretty nervous."

"Nervous...or afraid?"

"Both." Sighing, I take a seat in one of the chairs of the lounge area, continuing. "I didn't know what to expect, like I said. That was the nervous part. But...when we started fighting...there was a certain amount of fear. Enough to keep me moving, enough to keep my actions sharp. I just let it get out of hand."

"Fear keeps you alive," she states simply, opening her drink and taking a sip. "Keeps you on your toes."

"Indeed it does," I reply. "You just have to be careful not to get too afraid. If you do..."

"You die."

"Exactly."

Sighing, I decide to change the subject, finishing another fourth of so of the bottle of water before speaking.

"Are you going to stick around to watch the rest of the tournament?" I ask.

"Probably. I'd like to see how it turned out, maybe pick up some tactics for next year. Who knows," she replies, finally taking a seat as well.

"A good idea," I say, nodding. "I really should watch some of the other matches, see how my opponents fight."

"Then why don't you?" she inquires, taking another swig from her water.

"I guess I like being surprised. I like knowing what I'm going up against, don't get me wrong...but I like keeping my skill at improvising strategy sharp. Personally, when you Silenced me...I wasn't sure if I could win at that point or not."

"I noticed," she comments. "I saw the look in your eyes. One of unsureness and confusion."

"I really had to work to get myself out of that one...and that was just the first round. I've still got 5 more to go if I win..."

"If you win," she echoes. "I've watched some of the first round fighters..."

"Won't be easy to beat, I can imagine," I comment, causing her to nod.

"Not at all."

Drinking the last of the water, I throw the bottle away, standing up and stretching slightly as the speakers begin to play an announcement.

"Attention, all fighters. The fifteen minute intermission after round one will now begin. Please be ready for round two when the announcement is made for the round to begin."

"Well...time to get ready," I murmur, turning to Catherine. "Hope to see you later."

"Likewise. It was a pleasure," she says, turning and walking off towards the arena again.

"I had better be more prepared this time...especially against status effects..." I mutter, beginning to walk back to one of the locker rooms.

* * *

I hope I did better on the fight scene this time. I want to show that this is a completely different ballpark that what we're currently used to, and I hope to be able to do so. As always, please review! I'd like to know what I could improve on, or just suggestions in general.


	3. I, I, III: Magical Mayhem

I've been annoyed this past week, as my computer went on the fritz due to a virus. Luckily, all of my information was saved onto an external drive, so no major harm done. (grumbles)

Sort of a short chapter, but the next ones will be longer. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter III: Magical Mayhem_

* * *

Stepping back to the arena, I take a few deep breaths, preparing myself for round two. The announcement was made for the round to begin mere moments earlier, and I quicken my pace instinctively as I move down the hall.

"Our next match in round two is set to begin! Please welcome Benji Powell!" the announcer yells as I stride out into the arena, twirling one of my swords in my right hand.

"And his opponent, from the grand city of Bevelle, Joshua Bedouin!"

Stepping out into the arena after me is a light clothed figure, flowing sleeves on his reddish-colored shirt concealing most of his hands from view. His pants are much like his shirt, reddish with an almost graceful look, the material seeming to simply float around his body instead of resting upon it. His face is solemn, yet stern, the older male's face showing years of experience at a glance. In his right hand is a long, oaken staff, colored a dark black with intricate carvings etched into the wood, and a white cape rests behind him, clasped around his neck with a medal of some sort. Reaching to his neck, Joshua unclasps the cape, tossing it beside him to the dirt before we begin to walk towards each other.

"A pleasure to meet you," he greets, holding a hand out, which I shake. "I hope to have an exciting match with you."

"Likewise," I reply, nodding. "Let's give them something to cheer about." The two of us step back to our positions at either side of the arena as the referee approaches from above.

"Fighters ready!"

_(Play: Otherworld - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)  
_

"Shell!"

My first spell is a defensive one, pinkish-red lines of energy forming around me into a transparent bubble, which flashes bright red for a moment before vanishing. From the looks of it, Joshua is a powerful mage, and I don't want to take any chances.

"Doublecast: Waterga, Thundaga!"

Joshua's Waterga attack bears down on me hard, splashing me with watery energy and pushing me back, the Shell lessening the damage...that is, right before the Thundaga spell smashes into me, shattering my Shell and jolting me enough to make all the hairs on my arms stand on end. Recasting the Shell, I don't waste any time in trying to go on the offensive.

"Blasting Zone!"

The energy beam from my sword lances into the air, cutting the very sky around it as it ascends. Quickly, I bring the beam down on Joshua, who easily moves out of the way, the clothing not hindering his movement at all, despite the appearance.

"Doublecast: Shell, Protect!"

My mind does a flip at that, even as the red energy coalesces around Joshua, a barrier of bluish-white energy accompanying it before they both vanish.

"_He's definitely a very powerful mage...he's managed to gain the ability to Doublecast White Magic as well..."_

"Blizzaga!"

Even as I begin to move out of the way, the spell hits me like lightning, moving too fast for me to evade and freezing part of my arm and right side. Shaking my arm, I dislodge the magical frost, preparing a counter attack.

"Doublecast: Blizzaga, Firaga!"

"Firaga!"

Joshua's Firaga spell melts the ice from my Blizzaga, even as the Shell absorbs the majority of my subsequent Firaga. Muttering to myself, I realize that I'll either need to get in close to do damage, or use more powerful spells.

"Rough Divide!"

Dashing up to Joshua, energy begins to trail along my blade as I move, finally reaching Joshua and slashing upwards. The energy hammers into the Protect, the magical shield holding strong against my attack as I land back on solid ground, just in time to take the full force of a Firaga to the face. Staggering back, I rub my eyes and now-burned face, regaining my balance and my vision from the quick and powerful spell.

"You don't seem to be trying very hard," Joshua comments, as I brush pieces of singed hair away from my face.

"Just testing my enemy," I say with a grin, dropping into a defensive stance.

"I see...very well. Flare!" Joshua cries, the magical beam of energy blasting from his staff and heading towards me with the power of a freight train. The air around me seems to part as I flip out of the way of the attack, the beam continuing all the way to the edge of the arena before slamming into the shield protecting the audience.

"Fine! You want me to go all out? I will!" I say, energy gathering around me for my next attack as I hold the sword beside me. "Lion Heart!"

As yellow energy flashes around my sword, I sprint towards Joshua, cutting a retaliatory Blizzaga spell in half with my blade before slamming it upwards into Joshua's Protect, the shield buckling slightly under the hit and throwing him off balance. I continue my assault, the powerful magical spell denting and caving with every strike my sword makes. Finally, as the energy starts to run out of my attack, the Protect shatters, allowing me to get several strikes on Joshua's chest and midsection that send him to the ground.

"_Man...even using Lion Heart, that Protect held out for most of the attack..."_

"I commend you for such a powerful attack," Joshua compliments, holding his left hand to a series of ragged cuts in the fabric of his shirt. "Perhaps it is time for me to retaliate appropriately." Energy begins to gather around Joshua's staff as he speaks, the energy so immense that I can nearly feel it from my position.

"And now...Doublecast: Ultima!"

The incredibly powerful spell fires from Joshua's staff, the dark energy engulfing me, as well as a large part of the arena, in a torrent of power. I scream out in pain as the energy burns away at me, my Shell shattering like glass under the onslaught. The energy fades once, before coming back just as strong as the second attack connects, throwing me clear off my feet to land several meters away in the arena.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eig..."

The referee is cut off as I slowly push myself off the ground, parts of my shirt burned away from the attack, as well as large burns across my chest, legs, forearms, and face.

"I won't...lose...to you."

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I look around, seeing my sword lying easily a dozen feet from me. Resisting the urge to curse, I decide to take a gamble. If it works, I'll have the strength to hopefully end the fight.

"_If it doesn't...well, I don't want to think about that."_

"Angel Wing!"

I can feel more of not only my physical, but magical strength as well, drain from me as white wings appear from my back, propelling me up into the air to look down towards Joshua.

"Lightning Fury!"

Reaching to my sides, I grab several throwing knives, hurling them downwards as the knives seem to multiply, splitting until there are close to 30 of them hurtling towards the ground and crackling with electricity. Joshua leaps nimbly out of the way of several, before one lucky strike catches him in the left leg, causing him to stop as the electrical charge jolts his body.

"Let's see how you like being on the receiving end! Doublecast: Ultima!"

The dark energy seems to pour forth from my hands in a massive wave, the energy ball expanding to consume Joshua and the area around, an agonized scream echoing through the arena as Joshua struggles to defend against the spells. Finally, the energy fades away, revealing Joshua kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily. Unfortunately, that last attack drained the last of my magical reserves. Silently, I drop out of Angel Wing, the form doing me no good now that my spiritual energy is drained.

"You are...a worthy opponent..." he says, struggling to get back to his feet as the referee counts. "I give this...match to you."

"The same to you," I say, trying to catch my breath from the magical exertions. Finally, the referee hits ten, signaling for the end of the fight.

_(End: Otherworld - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

"Ladies and gentlemen, your winner, Benji Powell!"

Slowly, I walk over to Joshua, the older male accepting my offered hand and standing up. Joshua quickly grabs his cape from the ground as well, stepping towards the exit to the arena. Two medical officers are waiting for the two of us as we exit the arena, and we calmly walk over to them. As the four of us begin to head down to the infirmary, a flicker of blue catches my attention and causes me to stop, spinning to fully face whatever may be there. Nothing is there, however.

"Did you see that?" I say, turning to Joshua.

"What?" he asks, and I point to an adjoining hallway.

"There was something there. I saw something blue..." I reply, looking back towards the hallway carefully.

"Perhaps you are seeing things?" he says, causing me to shake my head.

"I know I saw something..."

Finally giving up, I merely continue to walk down the hallway, headed towards the infirmary once again.

"_I know I saw something...that wasn't just a trick of my eyes. I clearly saw something move."

* * *

_

My trip into the infirmary doesn't last long this time, just a simple examination and Ether sends me out of the place feeling better. The fifteen-minute intermission announcement rings out over the PA system asI near the entrance to the lounge. As I step into the lounge, turning to get another bottle of water from the machine, I stop, spinning to face one of the side halls. Another glimpse of blue rewards my gaze, and I continue to stare at the place where it originated for a moment, before shaking my head.

"I just might be seeing things..." I mutter, reaching into my pocket to grab some Gil. Before I can insert the coins, a strange noise emanates from behind me, somewhere between a gurgle and a growl. Turning quickly, I can see a glimpse of the same blue figure, moving rapidly down the hallway. Slamming the coins back in my pocket, I race after the figure, hoping to get to the bottom of the strange glimpses. All I can see of the figure is another glimpse of blue as it disappears around another corner, however. Sprinting around the corner, I almost knock a startled girl carrying a large box to the ground before stopping, blinking in confusion.

"Did you see anyone come this way?" I ask the girl, looking down the empty hallway.

"No, I didn't," the girl replies, shaking her head.

"I could've sworn..." I mutter, before turning back to the girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you like that."

"It's okay," she tells me, smiling. "I need to get this to the infirmary, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Of course, of course," I say, quickly stepping out of the girl's way to let her by. With a final confused look down the hallway, I begin to head back to the lounge, thoughts wandering back to the strange figure.

"_Am I being watched? If I am...by who? Who could have a reason to watch me...one of the other fighters? Could someone want me out of the tournament?"_

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," I say out loud to no one in particular, before ripping the top from a newly-purchased bag of chips. No matter how fit my body might feel, I haven't eaten anything since I entered this tournament, and the exertion has made me rather hungry. The bag of chips is gone in less than a minute, and I toss the bag away, deciding to push my thoughts aside and relax before round three.

* * *

So, Ben has advanced to round three of the tournament. And who or what did Ben see? All in good time...all in good time. As always, please review!


	4. I, I, IV: Playing Games

Well, after a short time to reorganize my thoughts on everything, I've finished another chapter! So, let's get to it, then!

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter IV: Playing Games_

* * *

"I can't believe I'm getting beaten around like this," I mutter to myself, pacing back and forth in the lounge. "I should be tougher than this. I've been up against pretty much everything, but these guys are tossing me around like I'm no match."

Growling a little out of frustration, I try and force myself to calm down. Anger will do me no good.

"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. I've been waiting for them to make their moves, and then countering. Every time I do that, they put me off-balance somehow. I need to go back to what I know...what my strengths are, how I fight, how I'm used to fighting. I need some sort of plan."

Ceasing the pacing, I elect to simply lean against the wall, taking a deep breath and gathering my thoughts.

"Everyone I've seen here seems to have been mostly offensive in their fighting," I muse, rubbing my chin. "I need to go back to that. Stay offensive, get the advantage, and press it. I'm quite fast already, so Haste would be a big help with that. The longer the fight goes on, the worse it could turn out for me, so I need to try to end it quickly. But if I use up too much energy...I'll leave myself wide open. Don't want that..."

I've spent nearly 15 minutes now contemplating my plan of attack, changing from the tactical to the dangerous, and I find it quite ironic that the simplest plan is the best option for myself.

"Never been one to plan a lot. Get in there, cast Haste, and beat them down. Simple, and effective. Let's just hope it works a whole lot better in practice than it sounds right now."

* * *

As I step out into the arena for the third round match, the announcer's voice goes completely ignored for the moment, my mind focused intently on my plan. I'm unsure as to what my opponent specializes in, or even if they have a specialty, but I'm determined to end it before I even have to find out.

"Entering the arena now is his opponent, from Bevelle, Seth Anderson!"

Joining me in the arena is a man that, to say the least, looks exceedingly dangerous. His face is twisted into almost a cruel smile or smirk, his downward-spiked brown hair waving gently. His outfit is nearly entirely black, consisting of a black shirt with no sleeves and purple designs on the front, a pair of no-fingered fighting gloves, also purple in color, and a dark black pair of pants and boots. Strapped to his back is a nasty-looking broadsword, as well. Just looking at him almost scares me, as he seems to have an aura of evil around him.

Shaking the thoughts off, I blame my suspicions on pre-round nervousness, as the referee begins the round.

_(Play: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)  
_

"Haste!"

The Time Magic instantly speeds my movements up as Seth begins charging energy for an attack. Both of my swords are out in a flash, and Seth has to abort his attack in order to meet my charge, both of my blades meeting solidly with his swiftly-drawn broadsword. Leaping back to give some room for attack, I stab one of my swords into the ground before raising my now-free hand at Seth.

"Flare!"

The spell quickly engulfs Seth, his sword raised in a defensive stance, but doing little to help as the powerful magic scorches him. As the magic clears, I prepare to go back on the attack, grabbing my sword from the ground just as Seth casts a spell in my direction.

"Demi!"

Another dark spell siphons off a great part of my energy, causing me to flinch as my stamina suddenly decreases sharply. The momentary sign of weakness is all the time Seth needs to take advantage, bringing his broadsword across in a powerful arc. The sword smashes into my right katana, blasting it aside and nearly out of my hand as I block the attack. A quick duel of swordplay then begins, Seth's broadsword coming back around from the other direction. Leaping back out of range, I lunge out, Seth twisting around the attack to strike with his sword. Thankfully, the flat of the blade is the only thing to connect, though it does knock the wind out of me as Seth moves behind me, our backs facing each other. At almost the same time, we spin back to face each other, Seth's sword coming down in a powerful overhead cleave that I deflect, holding my swords in an 'x' pattern to catch the blade between them. Thinking quickly, I slam a foot into Seth's chest, using the momentum to leap away and prepare another attack.

"Fated Circle!"

Spinning in place, I unleash an energy wave from the swords that Seth _cuts in half_, his broadsword shining with dark energy as the two pieces fly around him to explode against the ground harmlessly.

"That's all? Pity," he taunts, and I chuckle.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" I reply, deciding to try a different tactic. If sheer speed won't work, I'll simply have to confuse him.

"Cloak of Shadows!"

Using one of my new skills, the entire area suddenly blackens, while still leaving me near-perfect vision. I can see Seth as clear as day, the fighter dropping into a defensive stance as the magical darkness engulfs the area. Quickly, I run to his side and slash, causing a slight hiss of pain as he turns to face me. Or rather, where he believes I am. Even as he turns, I'm moving to where his back will be, preparing another attack. A duo of slashes connects with his back, causing him to stumble forward, and I run back to face him, kicking him harshly in the ribs as the darkness begins to wear off.

"Having fun yet?" I ask, smirking.

"Insolent...I'll make you regret challenging me. Gravija!"

My eyes widen a bit as the potent gravity-based spell slams into me, forcing me to the ground with crushing energy as another large portion of my stamina leaves me.

'_Well...I think I've found his specialty,'_ I think to myself, wincing from the powerful attack. Rising back to my feet, I suddenly see nothing but black as Seth's boot connects with my face, hurling me away to roll across the ground with stars dancing around my vision. Reaching up and touching my nose tenderly, I let out a small cry of pain, realizing that the bone is either cracked, or broken completely.

"That's it...I'm taking back control of this fight. Right now!"

Standing back up with a growl, I rush Seth, swords twirling in my hands faster and faster due to the Haste spell. With a quick twist of my body, my left blade smashes into his upraised broadsword, before I spin and cut low with the right one, a cut opening up along Seth's thigh. Coming face to face with him again, I leap straight into the air, kicking out with both feet and blasting him from a standing position with a double straight kick.

Slowly, Seth pulls himself from the ground, holding his left hand over his likely-bruised chest, right hand still gripping his broadsword tightly.

"An admirable attack...now, try to survive," Seth begins, energy gathering around him for a spell. "Meteor!"

A rumbling fills the sky as suddenly, a magically-created rock the size of a small basketball smashes into the ground beside me, dust kicked up high into the air from the powerful impact. More and more rocks begin to rain down, a smaller one of which smashes into my shoulder and causes me to cry out in pain, dropping my left sword as my arm goes completely limp from the shock. Finally, a large rock, easily the size of a large car descends from the sky, and I dive backwards as the rock impacts, a large explosion sending me even farther back than my leap intended.

"Okay...Meteor...definitely better end this now," I mutter, standing up once again and focusing my energy for my signature move.

"Darkside Assault!"

Seth's face turns to one of momentary shock as I move fast enough to seem to simply appear in front of him, but a quick stab to the stomach with my remaining sword replaces his shock with pain. Yanking the tip of my sword out of his stomach, I slash upward, then back down, a pair of cuts tracing themselves down his chest before a third cris-crosses the two cuts horizontally. Putting the sword away, my hands and feet begin to glow as I smash him in the face with a straight punch, following up with a jab and side kick that makes him flinch, just before a powerful uppercut staggers him. Deciding to finish the move off now, I charge magic into my right hand before releasing it point-blank, the powerful Holy spell picking Seth up and carrying him across part of the arena with a roar of pain.

When the dust from my final attack clears, Seth is lying on the ground, clearly unconscious. Smiling somewhat, I take a moment to catch my breath from my rapid movement and use of attacks, kneeling down and gripping my left armtightly as I do so.

_(End: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

'_That worked out for me...but if that Meteor spell had hit me more, I don't think I'd be standing right now. I thought only Behemoths and Behemoth Kings knew that skill...guess I was wrong.'_

Getting up from my crouching position, I listen absently as the announcer calls my victory, instead watching as two medical officials step out and pick up the unconscious Seth, the fighter beginning to stir even as the technicians begin to head to the infirmary. Silently, I follow, the pain from my injured nose now returning in full force as the adrenaline wears off, as well as the pain from my now-useless left arm.

"Well...at least I came out in better shape than the last two fights, I guess..." I mutter, chuckling.

* * *

Around twenty minutes later, I find myself heading back to the entrance of the arena from the infirmary. The entrance opens up into a very large area, almost like a waiting room of sorts. The announcer had stated several minutes ago that there would be an intermission before the second half of the tournament began. So, I figure that Yuna and everyone else will be at the entrance.

"Hey! Over here!" I hear Rikku's voice call, and I look around the room as I walk in, finally spotting a glimpse of Rikku over near one side of the room. Pushing my way past several other people, I meet up with the group, Rikku hugging me tightly as I approach.

"You're still in, I see," Paine comments, and I nod.

"Not like I haven't been trying," I retort.

"They look like they've been beating you up quite a bit," Shuyin says, the first words I've heard him say since before we stepped into the arena.

"I wouldn't exactly say I've been uninjured, no..." I say, rubbing the back of my neck.

"You should've seen it," Tidus says, cutting in. "Rikku nearly went crazy during the first fight!"

"I did not!" Rikku shoots back, spinning and facing Tidus. "I was just worried, that's all!"

"You don't have to worry," I say, looking over at her. "I'll be fine."

Even as I say that, however, I'm not completely sure I'm telling the truth. The first three matches have taken a lot of me, though I'm not willing to admit it. My body may be healed, but that doesn't mean I'm still in the best shape to continue. My endurance is also being tested, and quite harshly at that.

"Quick question," I say, deciding to change the subject, "have any of you seen anything...well...strange around?"

"Not that I've seen," Yuna comments, shrugging. "Why? Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I've had this weird feeling that I'm being watched for a while now. I've seen something blue watching me a few times, but I'd only get a glimpse every time. I tried to chase it down one time, but it turned a corner and just...vanished. I can't really explain it."

"We haven't seen anything like that around, but we'll keep our eyes out," Yuna says, nodding.

"Good. I've got this feeling that something bad's going to happen...and my feelings usually end up being right, unfortunately."

"You sure about that? Maybe you're just imagining things, ya?" Wakka says, and I shake my head.

"I think I'm being _stalked, _for crying out loud...I think my feelings are right on the money, Wakka," I retort, voice low.

"Hey, I'm just saying..."

"Well. Look who's here," a voice behind me interrupts, causing me to spin to face the newcomer. I'd know that voice anywhere.

"Darius. You joined this tournament too?" I ask, cautiously. The boy dismisses it with a wave of his hand, scoffing.

"This thing? Of course not. I'm merely...watching a friend. She entered the tournament, said she wanted to get in some training while we were here," he explains, folding his arms, his trademark smirk in place.

"Maybe I'll meet her later on in the tournament, then," I say, forcing down the bitter feelings and remaining civil. After all, he doesn't seem to want to cause trouble now, especially not in such a crowded area.

"Maybe. I'll enjoy watching her wipe the floor with you if you meet, too," he says, chuckling.

"Watch it. I'm at my best now, you know. I'm not that easy to beat," I reply defensively.

"I've seen nothing but amateur fighting from you so far," he comments, rolling his eyes. "When are you going to get serious, then?"

The previous two statements make me pause, pondering over them carefully. On one hand, he could be insulting me, as per usual. But, on the other hand, if he's serious...I'm not sure I want to find out just how much above me he might be in power and skill. Or his friend, for that matter.

"When I need to," I reply evenly.

"Just don't die in the next round," he says, turning and walking away without even waiting for a response.

'_He's bluffing. He's gotta be...'_

On the inside, however, I'm not so sure.

"Hello...you okay in there?"

Coming back to reality, I find myself still staring at the spot Darius was standing, Rikku's hand waving in front of my face.

"Yeah...sure...I'm okay."

"You're thinking about what he just said, aren't you?" Paine asks, arms folded. Paine's question is right on the mark, unfortunately for me.

"Well...yeah. I mean, you've seen me fighting. I've been out there, fighting better than I've ever fought before, and he up and calls it amateur fighting? Who does he think he is?" I retort, a little angry at the insult.

"He's trying to make you angry, make you make a mistake. Ignore it," Paine says simply.

"She's right, you know," Lenne interjects, looking between Paine and I. "They're just words."

"Hope you're right..." I mutter, as the PA system comes to life, the voice of the announcer carrying clearly through it.

"May I have your attention please...the second half of the tournament is about to begin. All spectators should return to the stands, and all fighters should return to the locker rooms. I repeat, all spectators should..."

"Guess our time's up," Rikku says, looking around at everyone.

"Yeah...I'll see you guys later, then," I say, nodding.

"Good luck!" Yuna says enthusiastically as I turn to leave. Looking back, I smile, taking a last look at the group before jogging off in the direction of the locker rooms.

* * *

How many of you expected to see Darius again this soon? Needless to say, he'll play a big part in this story, unlike the last one. As always, please read and review! I'd like to know what I could improve upon, in order to know how I could make my writing even better than it is now.


	5. I, I, V: Proving Grounds

Well, finally finished the next chapter! And not just one, but two fights this chapter! It just keeps getting longer from here...

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter V: Proving Grounds_

* * *

"Welcome back to the first annual SFA Grand Championship!" the announcer says, his voice carrying clearly over the sphere screens in the locker room. "Three rounds are complete, with three more to go! Our lineup of fighters has dwindled from sixty-four to a mere eight! These eight fighters will continue to show their mettle in the coming fights!"

Looking around, I can see the other seven fighters that have advanced to the fourth round along with me. Everyone is silent, and I can almost feel the anticipation in the room as I continue to examine the fighters. Everyone looks somewhat tired, but far from ready to give up. The tournament hasn't been easy on anyone, it seems, no matter how well prepared they believed they were.

'_Guess there's nothing to do now but wait and watch. I should keep an eye on everyone now, see how they fight.'_

"So, you're my next opponent?" a voice to my right says, causing me to turn. A young girl no older than 20 is standing there, her black hair pulled back into a bun. A black tank top and pants cover up her slender, yet powerful looking frame, and a pair of fighting gloves adorn her hands. I can also see what appear to be a pair of sais belted to her waist.

"Guess so," I reply, nodding slowly. "And you are?"

"Amy Mitsura."

"Benji Powell. Nice to meet you, Amy," I say, extending my hand, which the girl shakes.

"Looks like our round is next," she says, looking up at the screen, which is showing the current fight between a large, bare-handed fighter and a man in a long, black jacket of sorts. The latter seems to be quickly gaining an advantage, powerful swings and strikes from both his free hand and his sword putting the other man on the defensive.

"Yeah, looks that way. Hope it turns out to be a good one," I offer, causing Amy to nod.

"I would expect no less from someone who has advanced this far," she replies. Glancing back up at the screen, we can see the man in the black jacket holding the sword's tip to the other man's throat, who is lying on his back on the ground. The referee calls the match then, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers.

"Guess that means we're up," I say, shrugging and beginning to walk towards the arena, Amy giving a short nod of acknowledgment before following.

* * *

"Moving on to our second match in round four! Introducing our first fighter, from Kilika, Amy Mitsura!"

Amy steps out into the arena first, looking around at the cheering crowd silently, before taking her position near the middle of the arena.

"And her challenger, from Besaid, Benji Powell!"

Swiftly, I step out into the arena, walking over to step in front of Amy at the middle of the arena.

"I have a request," she says suddenly, causing me to quirk an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"I wish for us to fight unarmed. Armed combat is a test of skill, but the ultimate test of strength and wit comes from unarmed fighting, where the only weapons are your mind and body," she continues.

"Unarmed, huh..." I mutter, pondering over the suggestion for a minute as the referee looks on. "Alright, fine. Unarmed it is." Reaching to my back, I remove both of my katanas, still in the sheathes, placing them on the ground. Amy does the same with her sais, and the two of us share a nod to each other, before stepping back to our respective sides of the arena.

_(Play: The Divine Spirit of Language - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)  
_

"Fighters ready! Begin!"

This time, I decide not to take the first move, instead waiting for Amy to attack. A quick chop from Amy's right hand is stopped by my right hand, my left snaking out in a quick palm thrust to the chest. Amy slaps it aside, a low kick slamming into my left knee and making me bend down some on my left side. Quickly, I lash out with my right leg, spinning and sweeping Amy off of her feet before she can chain the attack. Amy rolls backward with the sweep, springing back to her feet as we pause for a moment to choose our next avenues of attack.

Seizing the opportunity, I run at Amy, leaping into a spinning kick which she evades, a punch slamming into my stomach as I land and blowing the wind out of me. A knee slams into my face as I double over, throwing me back and off of my feet. Wincing from the powerful strike, I roll out of the way as an axe kick smashes the ground where I was a moment earlier, getting back to my feet just in time to begin trading a flurry of blows with the powerful fighter.

A straight punch is deflected by Amy, followed by two left jabs, a side kick, and a left uppercut that she jumps away from, her body taking on a red aura for a moment as she launches an attack.

"Dragon Tail!"

Lashing out with a powerful kick, Amy's foot connects with a hastily-made block, an explosion of fire causing me to stumble back as my arms are burned by the unexpected attack. Shaking my arms for a moment, I regain my focus and call up magical energy, hoping to gain a moment to recover.

"Blizzaga!"

The spell catches her in the right shoulder, spinning her and freezing over part of her shoulder and arm. Quickly, I blast a following Firaga spell at her, but she flips to the side, closing to point-blank range again with devastating speed. A palm strike connects with my sternum, pushing me back as a roundhouse kick slashes across my face immediately after, blood beginning to flow from my nose. Wiping it away quickly, I bring my left arm up to block a high kick aimed for my head, before hurling her back with a well-placed straight kick.

"Flare!"

My following spell tears up the ground heading for Amy, who leaps to the side once again, her hands glowing with white energy now.

"Tiger Strike!"

The first strike comes faster than I can get a block in place, slamming into the left part of my chest and causing me to step back, the place where I was hit now throbbing. I'm able to see the second attack coming, a quick left hook that I duck, lashing out with a fist in an uppercut that connects, snapping Amy's head back sharply. The two of us break off again with that, again sizing up each other for another encounter.

"Not bad," she comments, rubbing her jaw slightly. I simply nod, breathing heavily from the fast rounds of attacks.

"You're good...better than me, really," I reply, before straightening again. "I won't give up that easily, though! Shadow Blitz!"

A sphere of blackness engulfs us both as I go back on the offensive, aiming a powerful punch at Amy's face. The girl blocks the attack, however, as I continue to strike, a duo of quick punches deflected, before a side kick sneaks through, hitting her left side and putting her off-balance. A following snap kick connects with the side of her head, staggering her, before I sweep her legs once again, making her land on her back as the area brightens again.

"Even without weapons, I'm no pushover!" I yell, taking a moment to kneel and catch my breath. Amy grunts, getting back to her feet slowly, the wind apparently knocked out of her from landing on her back.

"I can tell," she says, growling slightly as she retakes her stance. As Amy focuses, a red aura grows around her body, slowly increasing in size for several seconds as her Overdrive activates.

"Dragon Flight!"

One moment, I'm standing several feet away from her, and the next moment I'm holding my face due to a staggering punch from Amy. A second punch slams into the right side of my face, a third into my chest, followed by two side kicks that I barely block and a spinning heel kick that sends me rolling across the ground. Even as I'm standing back up, the red aura from her Overdrive begins to fade away, and I think that I might have a chance to recover. Amy, however, has other plans.

Once again, Amy is in front of me before I can react, lashing out with a powerful kick that knocks me off my feet again. Hunching over slightly, Amy breathes heavily as I cough, struggling to regain my vision, as well as even breathe from the Overdrive. Apparently, the Overdrive tired her out quite a bit, despite all the damage it inflicted on me.

"Surrender...yet?" she asks, trying to catch her breath. Groaning, I stand back up, trying to formulate some kind of attack plan.

"I don't surrender..." I mutter, shaking my head and focusing once again. "Darkside Assault!"

Amy seems just as surprised as I did when I seem to reappear at point-blank range, before I smash a fist into her face. Following up with a series of jabs and hooks, I switch to kicks in order to force her farther back, a side kick, then roundhouse kick pushing her back and giving me room to use my finishing spell. Dark energy begins to glow in my hand as I move back, thrusting my hand forward as the Ultima roars forth, a massive explosion of dirt and dark energy completely blocking Amy from view. Gasping, I sink to my hands and knees as I look over, seeing Amy lying on her back, flat on the ground and moving only slightly. The referee begins to count, the count slowly rising to 10 and stopping, signaling the end of the fight.

_(End: The Divine Spirit of Language - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)_

Despite my exhaustion, I can't help but smile, mentally chuckling at how absurd it seems to even me.

'_I've made it all the way to the semifinals...better than I thought I'd do, really. I thought I'd be out by third round or so.'_

Slowly standing up, I manage to inch my way over to where my swords are lying, picking them up and reattaching the sheathes to my back. Taking one of the swords out, I hold it beside me, leaning on it almost like a makeshift walking stick as I begin to make my way out of the arena.

* * *

Several minutes later, I step out of the infirmary. I'm still not back at full strength, because of all the exertion from the previous round. No matter the magical item or spell, there's still very little you can do for fatigue. As I round the corner, I can see Darius standing in the hallway, speaking to a young girl. The girl is dressed in a figure-hugging purple shirt, leaving her tanned abs exposed, as well as a waist-robe covering the front and back of her legs, as well as her right side. Through the exposed left side, I can see what appears to be some sort of chain mail covering her legs, nearly all the way from her feet to her hips. Two katanas, one sheath above the other, are belted to her left hip, and her entire left arm down to the wrist is covered in a metal gauntlet. As she looks over at me, I can also see that her brown hair is spiked downward, reaching to roughly her shoulders.

"Well, look who's still in the fight," Darius says, glancing over at me with a smirk as I approach. "I'm _almost _impressed. Then again, you sure are stubborn."

"The more persistent they are, the better the fight will be," the girl says, looking over at Darius.

"True," he replies, nodding thoughtfully before turning to me. "Tell you what, Ben. If you manage to win the next round, I'll bring you something to help get your energy back. Of course, you have to actually beat her."

"So, I'm going up against her next round, then?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," she says, stepping forward to me. "I'm looking forward to a good fight. Please don't let me down, like all of these other pretenders have." With that said, the two of them leave without another word towards me, leaving me standing there in thought.

"Should've figured I'd be up against her next round..." I mutter, shaking my head. "This won't end well at all."

* * *

"We're here at Luca Stadium for the first of two semifinal matches! Please welcome, from the Moonflow, Andréa Beoulve!"

I can already see Andréa on the other side of the arena, looking quite excited and eager to begin the semifinal match.

"And her opponent, from the island of Besaid, Benji Powell!"

Quickly, I step into the arena, a broad grin on my face as I enter. I'm looking forward to this fight, after the look I saw on Andréa's face earlier. I can tell she wants a good fight, and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

_(Play Final Fantasy 7 Philharmonic Suite Finale OC Remix)_

Without hesitation, Andréa draws both her swords, a katana and wakizashi, and advances. Both of my swords are in my hands in an instant, just in time to meet a downward strike from both of her swords. Despite her small frame, she has tremendous strength behind the attack, and I break the clash of blades, stepping back and swinging out with a high cut that Andréa ducks under. A lunge from Andréa sends me spinning around the attack, her other blade striking out at my chest. Quickly, I parry the attack, going on the offensive with a blitz of strikes that forces her backward.

"Fated Circle!"

The energy disc flies at Andréa from close-range, the younger girl simply leaping over the attack effortlessly. Upon landing, Andréa brings both blades to her side, focusing energy into the swords.

"Shockwave!"

The force behind the subsequent swing of Andréa's blades sends a wave of white energy flying at me, causing me to trip myself and fall to the ground, the energy wave passing harmlessly overhead as I flip myself back to my feet. Andréa is upon me in moments, slashing away with skill that I'm hard-pressed to defend against, much less counter. A strike sneaks through my defenses, ripping open a cut along my right forearm, and a second cut catches my side before I back away.

"Holy!"

Stabbing a sword into the ground, I thrust a palm forward, the beam of holy energy rocketing towards Andréa at blinding speed. Andréa rolls out of the way of the attack, before sheathing her wakizashi. Holding her left hand up, a transparent circle of energy begins to form in front of her hand, and she traces an intricate pattern in the circle as it flashes with blue light.

"Symbology: Ice Needles!"

My eyes widen as the circle suddenly expands to at least 5 times its original size, and a hail of sharp, icy spikes begins to fly from the circle. I have barely enough time to get my arms in front of my face before the needles are upon me, stabbing and piercing every part of my body. When the attack ceases, I look down at myself, seeing droplets of blood flowing from a large amount of tiny puncture wounds. Andréa isn't finished, however.

"Symbology: Lightning Blast!"

Just as I look up, a veritable ray of lightning slams into me from another large circle of energy, causing me to scream as the electricity flows through my body. The electricity finally stops, leaving my body twitching slightly from the voltage as I bring my swords back in front of me.

"You won't put me down that easily!" I say, putting away one of my swords and beginning to advance to close range once again. "Rough Divide!"

My sword comes up a little faster than Andréa can move, the katana in front of her doing little to lessen the impact of the energy wave from my sword. Andréa looks more annoyed than hurt, however, as she begins to cast another spell.

"Flare!"

The beam of non-elemental magic races towards me, and I hold my hand in front of me, countering with a spell of my own.

"Flare!"

The two Flare beams struggle to overcome the other, before they simply explode between us, neither one able to break through the other. As the dust clears, I can see Andréa flying towards me, having leaped into the air while the smoke provided cover.

'_Man, she's fast!'_

Andréa's leaping strike is avoided as I step to the side, my sword coming up instantly to parry a subsequent swing and knock her sword away. A lunge is deflected by Andréa's sword, and an overhead swing ends much the same way, before Andréa plants a foot into my chest, throwing me off-balance.

"Crescent Locus!"

Andréa then seems to kick the air, as a wave of energy extends from her foot, slamming into me and lifting me into the air to crash into the ground a moment later. Rolling backward, I hold a hand over my chest, the area stinging fiercely from the energy attack. Throwing my hand forward, I fire off a rapid series of Fire spells, the attacks evaded skillfully by Andréa as she runs between all the spells. Just as she closes in, however, I launch a Firaga that catches her in the chest, throwing her back and onto the dirt.

"Impressive," she says, standing up and wiping dirt from her face with a small smile.

"I haven't been training all this time for nothing," I reply, smirking slightly.

"Hope you can last longer than everyone else I've fought," she says, another magical circle appearing in front of her hand. "Symbology: Deep Freeze!"

The circle expands like the others, and snow suddenly begins to fall in an area around the two of us. In a matter of moments, the temperature has dropped drastically, the entire area now covered in a blanket of frost and ice. Without warning, the ice suddenly explodes, sending a storm of icy projectiles slamming into me and causing most of the smaller cuts made by the Ice Needles attack to become larger gashes.

"Blasting Cannon!"

In the time it took the Deep Freeze attack to run its course, Andréa has already charged up another attack, a trio of energy pulses rushing towards me. Eyes widening, I throw my hands in front of me, casting a spell on instinct.

"Ultima!"

The Ultima attack meets the energy pulses with a deafening explosion, also causing me to shield my face from the smoke and dust thrown up by the attacks. As the smoke clears, I can see Andréa nearly right in front of me, already preparing to launch another attack. Channeling my energy, I prepare to counter her attack, and hopefully gain an advantage.

"Triple Kick!"

"Hyper Rush!"

Three waves of energy are sent at me in the span of a second, but I dodge the first two, cutting through the third with my sword before stabbing it into the ground and dashing to Andréa. A high kick connects with her arm, and I quickly reverse the momentum, spinning the opposite direction in a spin kick that blasts into her stomach. Pressing the attack, I begin to throw a mixture of jabs and kicks, ending with a spinning heel kick that sends her tumbling. I know the fight isn't over, however.

I'm proven right when Andréa gets back up a moment later, katana gripped tightly in her right hand as she spits out some blood from her mouth.

"Nice counter," she compliments, her katana held at her side. The two of us charge at nearly the same time, swords clashing with a ringing of metal on metal as we each struggle to overpower the other. Andréa gives up first, dropping her sword low and dodging, which causes me to fall forward and gives her an excellent opportunity to land a powerful strike along my side, blood beginning to flow from the new cut. Spinning out of pain and instinct, my sword cuts nothing but air as Andréa moves back, her sword once again moved to her side.

"This is where it ends," she says simply, blue light swirling around her in preparation for her next attack. "Air Slash of Fury!"

Cutting the air quickly with her sword, Andréa sends an invisible wave of air at me that strikes me before I can react, pushing me backwards and causing me to stumble. Andréa continues to slash, more and more waves of air flying at me and causing me to go fully defensive, a quickly erected Protect spell warding off parts of the attack.

"No...it doesn't end for me here! Not just yet!"

Quickly, I grab my other sword from its sheath, holding the two in front of me as the Protect cracks and then shatters, forcing me to defend against the waves of air. Stepping forward, I begin to dodge around the air waves, Andréa following my every movement with her attack. My swords begin to glow as I channel energy into them, holding them to the sky.

"Blasting Zone!"

A beam of energy suddenly blasts from my swords, and I waste no time in bringing it down towards Andréa, a large gash being carved out of the earth as Andréa moves, barely dodging the attack but still getting thrown to the ground by the shockwave. Seizing the chance, I cast Haste on myself, moving in front of Andréa and lashing out with a powerful kick as she stands up, catching her in the side of the head and sending her back to the ground, dazed. Both of my swords come down towards Andréa, ready to finish the fight, but Andréa manages to get her sword up to block. Quickly, I kick her left hand, wincing in pain as my foot meets metal, but smiling on the inside as she drops her sword. Both of my swords come down again, pointing at her face, and she hangs her head slightly.

_(End Final Fantasy 7 Philharmonic Suite Finale OC Remix)_

Sighing, Andréa watches as the referee begins to count, before looking up at me.

"An impressive fight. You've proven that you're the better fighter," she says, and I nod, a hand going to my left side and the large cut there.

"It wasn't easy, I'll say that...you had me going there at the start. Those Symbology attacks are brutal..." I reply, wincing some. The referee finishes counting, waving a hand to signal the end of the fight as Andréa stands up, reclaiming her sword and sheathing it.

"Oh well. It was a nice fight. At least you came out better than everyone else I fought," she says, extending a hand once again. Smiling, I take the hand, shaking it quickly.

"I'm not too sure I want to see how anyone who fought you ended up," I say, chuckling. Andréa just smiles at that, shaking her head, as the two of us begin to head out of the arena, two medical officials stepping over to see that we're okay.

'_...I can't believe I'm in the finals...I wonder who'll win the other semifinal match...' _I think to myself, stepping into the hall leading to the infirmary.

* * *

So, Ben has made it all the way to the final round! Who will be his opponent, and for that matter, can he win? You'll just have to wait till next chapter to find out! As always, please read and review!


	6. I, I, VI: All Or Nothing

Well, this chapter signals the end of the tournament, as well as introducing another of the main characters. Sorry for the somewhat late update, but a combination of resuming my job and being quite sick for the past day or two really put a damper on both my free time and enthusiasm.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter VI: All Or Nothing_

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! This is the moment you've all been waiting for! We began this grand championship with a total of sixty-four fighters, but now we are down to only two! These two fighters have shown themselves worthy to compete in the final round!"

The crowd roars at the last words from the announcer, eager to see the beginning of the final match.

"I will now re-introduce you to our two combatants! The first has shown remarkable persistence and agility, moving through the rounds with powerful melee attacks and spells. Please give a round of applause for Benji Powell!"

_(Play: Eternity -Band Member Performance- (Ben's Theme) - Matsueda, Eguchi; Final Fantasy X-2)_

Striding out into the arena, I hold my swords up in triumph of having made it this far as the crowd cheers on, before taking my place at the left side of the arena.

"Our second fighter, hailing from the Thunder Plains, has shown incredible strength and skill, taking down opponents with often astounding ease and grace. Give a round of applause for Angel!"

_(End: Eternity -Band Member Performance- (Ben's Theme) - Matsueda, Eguchi; Final Fantasy X-2)_

_(Play: Angel Main Theme (The Sanctuary Extended Remix) (Angel's Theme) - Darling Violetta, Angel)_

Stepping into the arena after me is an older man, looking to be in his 20's, and dressed in an entirely black outfit. A long, black duster covers up a long pair of black pants and black shirt, the coat stopping at around his knees. His short, brown hair accompanies an almost apathetic look, mixed with one of curiosity. I quickly recognize him as the person I saw fighting in the fourth round, before my match with Amy.

"Here goes nothing," I mutter, taking a fighting stance, Angel mimicking the action on the other side of the arena. The entire arena seems to quiet, as the referee signals the beginning of the final match.

_(End: Angel Main Theme (The Sanctuary Extended Remix) (Angel's Theme) - Darling Violetta, Angel)_

_(Play: Liberi Fatali - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

Two blades are in Angel's hands in a second, both identical blades with a blue gleam about them. Wasting no time, I make the first move.

"Haste!"

Instantly, I can feel my reflexes quicken, my speed increasing greatly as I prepare for my next strike.

"Cloak of Shadows!"

Darkening the entire area, I take the opportunity to charge Angel, who still hasn't moved an inch. As I bring the sword in my right hand down, Angel's left sword snakes in and blocks, knocking the sword aside and slashing outward in a quick movement. The cut goes just beside my arm, and I stab out with the left sword only to find Angel moving around the attack. A quick slash from Angel catches the chain mail covering my shirt, ripping into the metal material and rending it partially. Backing away, I watch as the area brightens, noticing that Angel has barely moved the entire time.

"Firaga!"

My spell blasts towards Angel, who suddenly leaps into the air, higher than I've seen anyone leap before. On his way down, Angel points a sword towards me, calling up magical energies of his own.

"Fira!"

The spell catches me off guard, exploding on my chest and burning parts of my shirt and arms. Quickly, I raise a Shell around me to absorb the brunt of any more magical attacks, before engaging Angel in melee combat once again.

An overhead strike is parried by Angel, causing me to duck in order to avoid a retaliatory horizontal slash. Stabbing out with both swords, Angel suddenly snaps them out wide, nearly gutting me as I leap back to dodge the strikes. A Blizzard spell fires into Angel's chest, but doesn't seem to slow him as he continues to attack, a quick combo of horizontal and vertical strikes putting me back on the defensive.

'_I need a plan...'_

"Blizzaga!"

Aiming carefully, I target not Angel, but the ground underneath him, frosting it over in a thick layer of ice in the hopes of stopping his attacks on the now-slippery ground. Angel just aims a Fira at the ground, melting the ice in a manner of moments before turning back to me.

"Watera!"

A burst of water explodes on my swords as I cross them in a block, shielding me from the magical liquid.

"Blizzara!"

The second spell, however, breaks my guard, the ice from the spell knocking my swords aside before slamming into my stomach.

"Thundara!"

A lightning bolt suddenly hits me from above, jolting me even worse due to the soaking from the Watera spell. Regaining my balance, I see Angel standing still, white energy glowing around his swords as he holds them out to his side.

"Swords of Heaven!"

The white energy from Angel's swords suddenly flashes outward as Angel takes to the air, the energy boosting him into the sky to hover there. Quickly, Angel slashes both swords outward, the white energy forming into two blades of light that slam into me, pushing me to the ground with two long cuts in my shirt and chest. Angel lands softly on the ground, pressing the seeming advantage by charging at me as I get back to my feet. A sweep kick nearly takes him off his feet, however, and a side kick gives me a moment to recover.

"Blizzaga!"

Quickly, I launch another Blizzaga, aiming at Angel's chest this time with the burst of frost. He takes the attack full-on, grunting in pain, but otherwise unaffected.

'_What is this guy made of...?'_

"Fated Circle!"

Spinning in place, the circular energy wave flies at Angel, who deftly rolls under the attack, coming up with a rising slash aimed at my side. As I spin, my hasty block is shattered, one of my swords flying out wide as the second drops, leaving me wide open as Angel kicks me in the chest. The attack sends me completely off my feet, skidding across the dirt some to cough up dust and spit.

Placing a hand over my now-certainly bruised chest, I get back to my feet, bringing a Protect spell up as well as Angel rushes in again. Instead of meeting me, however, he leaps _over_ me, causing me to spin 180 degrees and come face to face with a wide swing of both of his swords. Quickly, I block the attack, stepping back as Angel strikes again.

"Blizzara!"

The attack takes the form of a burst of ice instead of an icicle this time, slamming into my hand and cutting it with many small shards of ice. Dropping my sword out of pain, I raise the other just in time to block another overhead swing. Before another attack can be made by either of us, however, the arena erupts in noise. Not cheers, but screams. Angel and I both stop immediately, looking around for the source of the disruption. We don't have to look far.

_(End: Liberi Fatali - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

Entering from all four sides of the main arena are fiends, but very strange looking fiends, even for monsters. Some are smaller fiends, slightly larger than a human with a completely red body. Three sharp-looking claws extend from each of its bulky hands, and the left hand grips a crude wooden club of some sort. Where its mouth should be, there is none, the face simply continuing to extend down to almost the bottom of its neck, and two tusk-like protrusions stick out from either side of its face.

The second type of fiend looks somewhat like the first, but nearly twice the size with a bluish body. Instead of a wooden club, a powerful-looking warhammer is held in its left hand, and a sort of shoulder and chest armor covers its upper body.

The final type of fiend is some sort of wraith, translucent with a reddish tint to its body. Somewhere in between the size of the other two fiends, it hovers above the ground, two-pronged claws extending from each of its hands. The glowing purple eyes of the fiend seem to shimmer with magic as well.

There are probably three dozen of the fiends in all, and I can already see most of the guards rushing to drive the creatures off.

"I think its safe to say that the tournament's now over..." I mutter, picking my other sword up from the ground.

"Yeah," Angel replies, beginning to run towards the closest fiend, one of the smaller ones. Taking a moment to cast a Curaga on myself, the spell healing the wounds from the fight as well as restoring some of my energy, I aim a palm at the fiend that Angel is now engaging.

"Scan!"

_Bloodfiend_

_HP: 8,492/8,492_

_MP: 1,295/1,295_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: Immune_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: None_

_Water: None_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: None_

_Non-Elemental: None_

_Status: None_

As the information enters my mind, the process taking only a second to absorb and understand, I charge a spell in my right hand, aiming at the same fiend.

"Waterga!"

The spell explodes in the face of the fiend, disorienting it enough to where Angel can get in a clean attack. A moment later, the fiend's head falls from its body, cleanly cut by one of Angel's blades. Instead of bursting into pyreflies, however, the fiend turns into wisps of black energy, which fade away slowly. Having no time to contemplate it, I turn back to the fight, watching as the fiends engage the guards. Focusing again, I turn to one of the wraith-like fiends, calling up the energies of a Scan spell again.

_Elder Voidwalker_

_HP: 16,386/16,386_

_MP: 7,195/7,195_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: None_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: None_

_Water: None_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: Immune_

_Non-Elemental: Half_

_Status: None_

The targeted fiend turns to me, and black energy swirls around its hand before lancing at me in a beam, draining away my magical energy and causing a stabbing sensation to spread over my body for an instant. The guards open fire with rifles, the bullets having no effect on the ethereal fiend, before several of the Bloodfiends engage the guards, who valiantly begin to try and defend themselves with their rifles in melee.

"Looks like you could use a hand," a voice says, before a figure runs out from one of the entrances. "Shin-Zantetsu!"

Moving faster than the eye can see, the figure slashes rapidly at several of the fiends assaulting the guards, ending up behind the line of fiends. The fiends simply fall apart, bursting into trails of energy as the guards stand up, nodding thanks and running to assault another smaller group of the fiends.

The figure is revealed as Darius, who, instead of his typical coat, is garbed in what appears to be the Samurai dressphere. A black and red colored shirt and pants adorn his body, the left sleeve of the shirt completely removed. Both parts of the garment also allow full freedom of motion. A shield of some sort covers his entire left arm from the elbow down, spiked near the end to allow for offensive attacks in a desperate situation. In his right hand is an elegant great katana, serrated near the end of the blade.

"For once, I'm glad to see you, Darius," I say, Angel and I meeting up with Darius and assaulting another of the larger, blue fiends as a group.

"Can't say the feeling's mutual," he says, chuckling slightly and stabbing out at the fiend. While Darius and Angel tie the creature up in melee combat, I take the opportunity to use a Scan spell on this one, the third and final type of fiend.

_Deathbringer_

_HP: 25,396/33,514_

_MP: 3,915/3,915_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: Half_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: Half_

_Water: None_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: None_

_Non-Elemental: None_

_Status: None_

The creature, now identified as a Deathbringer, roars, slamming its warhammer into the ground. A wave of lightning blasts from the ground, shocking Angel and Darius, the former twitching slightly and jerking back, dazed from the attack. Darius seems unaffected, slashing hard into the fiend's chest, before getting slammed with the warhammer and sent flying away. He quickly recovers, however, righting himself in the air and skidding across the ground before running back towards the fray.

"Doublecast: Flare!"

Aiming carefully, I blast a powerful beam of energy at the fiend, scorching its body with the first skill, before the second connects, literally burning it alive with the non-elemental energy. As I look around, I can see that the guards have managed to keep the fiends away from the crowd, and are forcing them back slowly. Several guards lie dead, however, their bodies scattered around the arena.

"Kyuuten no Kanshiki!"

The arena instantly brightens as energy gathers in the air, forming into the image of a gate. A large lock is on the front of the gate, which then breaks, sending a wave of light from the gate down towards the arena. As the energy engulfs all of the fiends, explosions of energy erupt from each fiend stricken. When the smoke clears, most of the fiends are fading away into trails of dark energy, and the few that survived are being destroyed by the remaining guards.

"Ben!"

Turning quickly, I can see Yuna and the others approaching, Darius and Angel also walking back over to meet with the rest of us.

"Yuna! You guys okay?" I yell, earning a nod from everyone.

"Yeah, we're fine. Everyone seems to be okay, but..."

"What were those things?" I say, cutting her off. "I have absolutely no idea. Any clue, Darius, Angel?"

"I've never seen them before," Darius says, putting his sword away.

"Same here," Angel replies.

"One other thing...why didn't they become pyreflies like all the other fiends?" I ask, looking around. "They just...melted, or something..."

"Maybe they weren't fiends?" Tidus suggests.

"Maybe...but I'm leaning towards fiend right now. Who knows, though..." I mutter, shaking my head. "Anyone have a plan?"

"Plan?" Darius says, stepping away some. "We don't even know what these things were. We can't really make much of a plan, now can we?"

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing either, right?" I counter, looking over. Darius looks silently at me for a moment, before sighing out of exasperation.

"Alright, alright, I'll see if I can find out anything. But I'm not making any promises, got it?"

"Sure. And...thanks," I say. Darius sighs, shaking his head and shrugging, before getting in one last remark.

"Just remember one thing. I'm not doing this out of charity. You owe me. Saving you was a freebie."

"What now?" Rikku asks, turning to Yuna.

"We could go back to the Celsius. Maybe Shinra knows something about whatever these things were," Yuna says.

"Sounds good to me," I say, nodding, before turning to Angel. "Coming?" Angel pauses for a moment, putting both of his swords away, before nodding.

"Alright."

Without any further hesitation, all of us head out of the arena, headed back to the airship to try and gather information.

* * *

Well, now that that's over with, allow me to give a small bit of information about Angel.

Angel is based off of the main character from the show of the same name, created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. My way of saying that I don't own him, in other words. During most of this story (the parts here being the only exception), Angel was played by Daniel Wesley Rydell, as stated earlier.

And now begins the first 'side-quest' of sorts in the story. As always, please read and review.


	7. I, I, VII: Forsaken

Well. Lengthy waits between chapters now, it seems, while I put all my ideas in order. Anyway. Finally, you get to see a little about what's been happening. I've also started to add location tags, in order for you to see where things are happening. There will soon be a lot of different things happening in a lot of different places, and it's a little easier to keep up with everything this way.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter VII: Forsaken_

* * *

--Celsius, Bridge--

* * *

"Any luck?" Yuna asks Shinra, who spins in his chair to face her.

"Nothing. I've searched through my entire database of fiends, but nothing I have even comes close to matching what you described."

"Where else might have information on these things?" I ask, looking around.

"Well...Nooj might know. Same with Baralai. Those are about the only two places I can think of," Paine replies. Sighing, I lean against the wall of the bridge, fingering one of the knives strapped to my forearms.

"Great. We don't know anything about them, and we barely have an idea of who _might_."

"Uh...guys?" Buddy asks warily from the front of the bridge. "I think you might want to see this..."

All of us move to the front of the bridge at that, turning our attention to the many spheres at the front.

"What is it?" Angel asks.

"Trouble," Buddy replies bluntly, pointing to one of the spheres. Looking over, we can see images of more of the same fiends from the stadium, leading an assault on Bevelle.

"No way!" I exclaim, stunned.

"It's not just Bevelle, either. What's left of the Crusaders are fighting these things at Macalania, and from what I can tell, the Calm Lands has pretty much been taken over."

"We've gotta try and help," Rikku says quickly, looking at the screen.

"If we're going to do this, we need to split up. We can't be everywhere at once, you know," Paine comments, and I nod.

"Angel and I could go to Bevelle, while the rest of you head to Macalania. We'll have the guards at Bevelle backing us up, and you'll have the Crusaders," I suggest.

"Sure you two can handle it?" Yuna asks, and Angel nods.

"We'll be fine. Just get to Macalania and help the Crusaders," he replies.

"Got it," Yuna replies, turning to Brother. "Brother! Let's go!"

"Come on, Angel," I say, stepping over and putting a hand on his shoulder. Calling up energies that I've not had the chance to try yet, a faint blue aura builds around me for a second, before the two of us simply vanish in a small flash of blue light.

* * *

--Bevelle, Highbridge--

* * *

An instant later, the two of us reappear on the Highbridge at Bevelle. The scene is one straight out of a horror movie. The strange fiends are everywhere, bashing Bevellian guards with clubs, maces, and warhammers, as well as their own spiked hands. The bodies of guards lie dead, littered around the Highbridge like fallen leaves. My blood begins to boil at the sight, but I force myself to keep my anger in check, slowly drawing one of my blades as Angel draws both of his.

"You want to take the palace, or should I?" I ask, looking over at Angel.

"Doesn't matter to me," he says.

"Fine. I'll go inside. Meet me inside when you're done, okay?"

"Got it."

"Good. Let's clean house," I say, charging into the storm of swords, guns, and bludgeoning weapons. Charging energy into my hand, I point it in front of me, intent on clearing a path.

"Firaga!"

The smaller, green colored Voidwalker in front of me simply disintegrates under the force of the spell, as Angel tears into a Deathbringer, dodging around the warhammer to stab it in the throat with both of his blades. A Bloodfiend tears a guard's arm completely off with one swing of a large sword, before being riddled with bullets by at least half a dozen other guards. Another guard goes flying by me, his entire torso crushed from the warhammer of a Deathbringer.

"Phase Shift!"

Moving quickly, I leap right through a Bloodfiend, my ethereal body passing through the fiend entirely as I continue to move, my body returning to the physical realm as I lash out at another Bloodfiend. My sword flies wide, missing the fiend entirely, but a salvo of bullets from a trio of guards turn the fiend's attention back to them, just before it explodes into black mist from the firing. Turning my focus to a duo of blue-colored Voidwalkers, I aim a Doublecasted Thundaga at them, the energy frying their ethereal bodies and causing them to sag, but not die.

"Kyuuten no Kanshiki!"

A shout from Angel gathers my attention for a moment as the same white portal he used back at the arena reappears, holy-based energy lancing out at a multitude of fiends as I approach the palace.

"Almost there..." I mutter, before screaming in pain as a wooden club comes out of nowhere and slams into my side, throwing me completely off my feet to roll across the ground. My vision swims with pain as I try to refocus my eyes, only to come face to face with a Deathbringer. Another swing goes barely evaded as I throw myself backwards, a large crack now in the ground from the impact of the large club. Quickly, I get my hand in front of me, firing off a Blizzaga that spears the creature, before a Flare from the same hand engulfs it a moment after. Seizing the moment, I cast a Curaga over my body, feeling the healing magic work its way over my midsection before I slowly stand up.

Without wasting any more time, I run towards the palace doors, yanking the heavy door open with one hand and spinning inside, the door shutting behind me. Gasping for breath, I place my left hand on my knee, hunching over and using my sword to stay upright as I catch my breath. Looking up again, I come face to face with at least a dozen Bevellian guards, all aiming rifles at me.

"Oh boy..."

* * *

--Macalania Forest--

* * *

"They just keep coming!" Yuna yells, blasting through another trio of Bloodfiends with her Great Whirl attack.

"Not much we can do about that right now!" Paine yells back, eviscerating a Deathbringer with a well-placed Fiers. An Elder Voidwalker looks over at Paine, beginning the casting of a spell, but a duo of missiles turn it into dust before it can finish, Rikku's grinning face appearing from the resulting smoke.

"Need a hand?" she asks innocently, causing Paine to smirk.

"Could ask you the same," she jokes, chuckling and turning back to the fight.

Nearby, Tidus and several of the Crusaders engage with a group of Bloodfiends and a Deathbringer, the blitzer charging straight into the middle of the enemies and cutting into the nearest Bloodfiend. Bringing his sword up, he tears through that enemy before spinning on another just in time to block the swing of a club. Several of the Crusaders begin to force the remaining Bloodfiends away with well-placed sword attacks, just before the Deathbringer slams its warhammer into the ground, bolts of lightning lancing out and striking everyone nearby. Two Crusaders fall, stunned by the lightning, and another falls dead as Tidus retaliates.

"Go back where you came from!" he yells, leaping into the air and raising his sword, energy gathering around it before he swings, bolts of energy from his Energy Rain Overdrive blasting out and exploding in the ranks of the fiends, decimating several instantly and gaining a roar of pain from the Deathbringer.

"Great Whirl!"

A salvo of energy blasts suddenly flies in, engulfing the Deathbringer in a cloud of smoke. When it clears, all that remains of the creature is some rapidly-disappearing mist.

"Thanks," Tidus says, turning to Yuna with a smile.

"No problem," she replies, as the two of them run back to the others.

* * *

--Bevelle, Highbridge--

* * *

"Lower your weapons. He's not one of them," the voice of Baralai says, stepping out from behind the guards.

"Good to see you're okay, Baralai," I say, breathing a mental sigh of relief.

"Yes, but I worry how long it will last," he replies, stepping over to me. "My guards have been holding those creatures off so far, but I'm not sure how long they can keep them at bay."

"We'll do all we can to help," I continue, "but I wish I knew what we were fighting. Any ideas?"

"Not at the moment," he answers, looking around. "Perhaps we could check some of the history books in the library?"

"This isn't exactly the time for a history lesson, Baralai," I retort, rolling my eyes somewhat.

"I was thinking that we may find something on these fiends in one of the books. After all, some of them date back even farther than Sin, you know. I've been looking through some of them, but I've found nothing so far."

"Good point," I concede, nodding. "Where's the library?"

"Follow me," he says, beginning to walk deeper into the palace. Quickly, I run after the Praetor, hoping to waste as little time as possible.

A minute later, the two of us enter a large room, bookshelves lining the entirety of the walls. My eyes widen at the sheer amount of books in the room, and I quickly turn to Baralai, who is walking towards one side of the room.

"You expect us to find something in all of these?" I say, gesturing around.

"Here," he says, pulling a book from one of the shelves and throwing it to me. Opening it up, I begin to skim through the pages, looking for anything that might help us.

"Reading, at a time like this?" a voice says from the door. Turning, I see Angel, somewhat cut but otherwise in good shape, leaning against the doorframe.

"You okay there?" I say, causing him to nod.

"I'm fine. They seem to have left for now," he says simply, walking inside.

"Think they'll be back?"

"Probably."

"Wonderful...how are the guards holding up?" I query, turning a few more pages in the book.

"A lot of them are injured, some of them dead...I don't think they'll be able to hold them back if they keep attacking like this for much longer," Angel comments.

"I think I've found something," Baralai says, interrupting our conversation.

"What is it?" I ask, Angel and I stepping over to where Baralai sits, a book opened in front of him.

"See for yourself," he says, pointing to the book.

* * *

Around 800 years ago, somewhere around the year 173 A.S., there existed a large castle on the open plains of the Calm Lands. The ruler was a king named Malak Agamand, who ruled most of the Calm Lands and what is now Macalania. His subjects admired him, as he was a fair king who upheld strict codes of honor for himself and those under his command. He even went so far as to offer his castle as a place of rest and recuperation for summoners and guardians on their travels.

Fiends such as the ones we know today were uncommon back then; in their place were vile creatures that later were dubbed the "Forsaken." These fiends preferred to keep to themselves, but were very territorial and would ferociously attack humans who mistakenly wandered into their lands.

The fiends themselves were also quite powerful, as there was one major difference between the Forsaken and normal fiends. While normal fiends were formed by the hate and anger of the dead, which is why people often returned to life as fiends, the Forsaken were different. They were formed from the very energy of death itself, making them difficult to kill with normal means. Magic seemed to be more effective against them than conventional weapons such as swords and maces, but some of the fiends proved resistant, even immune to magic.

Over the course of around 150 years, the Forsaken became numerous, as well as increasingly powerful and aggressive, some even leading open attacks on cities such as Guadosalam and Bevelle. Finally, in the year 349 A.S., Grand Maester Larian called a meeting of the Maesters of Yevon to decide a course of action to deal with the Forsaken. As the Forsaken could not be destroyed easily, and the Maesters could not risk sending most, if not all of their forces to carry out a potentially crippling operation, they elected instead to devise a way to seal the fiends away. This is where King Malak Agamand re-enters the picture.

The king's castle had been under siege by the Forsaken for several months prior to the council's decision, the unnatural fiends seeing the entirety of the Calm Lands as their territory. King Agamand's forces were able to hold the fiends at bay, but it was clear that the castle would soon fall. Therefore, King Agamand met with the Maesters, volunteering to use his castle as the place in which the Forsaken could be sealed. The Maesters accepted, and a group of the most powerful mages in Bevelle, along with nearly 500 Bevellian soldiers set out and forced most of the Forsaken back into the Calm Lands. The warriors pushed them back even farther, into King Agamand's castle, and all the doors were sealed and barred, reinforced by powerful binding spells from the mages. The castle was abandoned and forbidden to return to after that.

Several hundred years later, when the chasm in the Calm Lands was created from the fight between the Final Aeon of High Summoner Gandof and Sin, the great castle fell with it, land and castle all sinking into the large tear in the earth to rest at the bottom, tons of rock and rubble falling and burying the majority of the once-proud monument. To this day, the castle remains sealed and buried in the great chasm of the Calm Lands.

* * *

"Well...not anymore it isn't," I mutter, looking over at Baralai and Angel. "Wonder how they got free?"

"If I had to guess, I would say that it was simply a matter of time," Baralai says, looking up at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask, slightly confused by Baralai's remark.

"Binding spells may be powerful, but like any magic, the effects will fade away over time. Even if they used a thousand mages, the spells would eventually wear off. I believe that the binding spells simply wore off over the eight hundred or so years that these things have been sealed, and that they simply broke out of the castle once the spells had faded."

"Great. First Sin, then Vegnagun, now this. What's next..."

"We should let the others know about this," Angel says, interrupting my musing of a sort.

"Yeah," I agree, turning back to Baralai. "Do you think you can hold out here for a bit longer?"

"We should be able to," he replies. "You have a plan?"

"We find the castle, we go in, we kill whatever's leading these things. Simple enough in words, but you know what they say about the best laid plans," I explain.

"I see," Baralai says, standing up and stepping towards the door. "We'll hold them here as long as we can. Good luck."

"Thanks. We're gonna need it this time, I think," I reply, turning to Angel. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he says simply, and I nod, placing a hand on his shoulder, the two of us vanishing moments later.

* * *

--Macalania Forest--

* * *

Angel and I reappear a moment later near Lake Macalania, looking around at the once-pristine forest. Burned patches of ground and melted snow from magical attacks litter the area, as do corpses of Crusaders. The occasional tree has even been felled, lying along the ground like a fallen giant. Several yards away, Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and a group of the Crusaders stand, apparently recuperating from the battle.

"Hey!" I yell, getting their attention. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine!" Yuna yells back, as we start to walk over to them. "How about you two?"

"Never better," I say, rolling my eyes somewhat. "I think we found something you guys might want to hear."

"Like?" Tidus prompts.

"What these things are, for starters," Angel cuts in, looking over at the four of them.

"Seriously?" Rikku asks, causing me to nod.

"Yeah. We found some information on them at Bevelle, in the palace library. Apparently, they're some kind of fiends called the Forsaken. They're not normal fiends by any means...really, if anything, they're undead. They're nothing but the energy of death. Anyway, there's a castle in the Calm Lands, down in the chasm. That should be where these things are coming from. We're gonna take out their leader."

"Good luck with that," one of the Crusaders says, apparently the captain or commander of the group. "They've taken over the entirety of the Calm Lands. You'll have a hard time getting in."

"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing. I think if we all work together, we can make it to the chasm and hold them off there, while some of us go inside the castle and find whatever's controlling these things," I continue.

"Better than nothing," Paine says, folding her arms. "I say we do it."

"Sounds good," Yuna agrees, nodding.

"Guess it's settled, then," Angel chimes in, looking around.

"If these things are undead, holy magic might work better on them than regular magic. Can't say for sure, though. I'm just making guesses out of the blue here," I suggest.

"Can't hurt to try," Rikku says, shrugging.

"I think we should take some time to rest first," Angel interrupts, looking over the Crusaders before turning to the commander. "Your men don't exactly look like they're in the best fighting shape right now." Without a word, the commander nods, moving back and beginning to bark orders to his men.

"He's right. We could all use a little rest, if not but for a few minutes," I say, beginning to head towards the Celsius, which sits a few dozen yards away from all of us. Angel and the others follow a moment later, and I can see some of the Crusaders beginning to head our way as well as we step inside.

* * *

Well, the plot is beginning to thicken now. Which is good...very good...

I've had the idea of the Forsaken in my head for a while, and I'm actually still making subtle changes to it as I see fit, even as I'm writing this story. As always, please read and review!


	8. I, I, VIII: Into The Abyss

Finally got to upload this chapter, after having some delays and then problems regarding the uploading. This chapter is a bit on the short side to me, but the next chapter will make up for it. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter VIII: Into The Abyss_

* * *

—Celsius, Bridge—

* * *

"So, here's the plan. You two will go into the castle," Yuna begins, pointing at Angel and I, "and find whatever's controlling these fiends. You get rid of it, and you get out. We'll keep anything from getting to you for as long as we can, okay?"

"Got it," I reply quickly. "How long do you think we have?"

"We're not sure," Paine says. "Who knows how many of these things will try and stop us, once they figure out what we're doing."

"Yeah," Angel says. "I wouldn't take too kindly to it myself," he adds, sounding somewhat joking but completely straight-faced.

"I can fly my way to the chasm, at least, to keep from being attacked. Angel, do you think you can keep up on the ground if I cast Haste on you?" I ask, looking over.

"I should be able to, as long as they don't decide to swarm me."

"Alright, good. Guess all that's left is to do this," I state, stepping out of the room with Angel, Yuna, and the others following.

* * *

—Macalania Forest—

* * *

"Don't let a single one through!" the commander yells, firing into a group of what appear to be four-legged, dog type fiends, a deep blue in color. One of the fiends gives a howl and slumps over onto its side, as another leaps into the air, intent on ripping the throat from the commander.. The only thing it meets, however, is a saber from one of the soldiers that rips into its stomach, cutting it wide open and causing it to explode into dust.

"Hmm...another type. Scan!" I exclaim, looking at one of the new fiends.

_Felhound_

_HP: 3,936/3,936_

_MP: 2,369/2,369_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: Immune_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: None_

_Water: None_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: Half_

_Non-Elemental: None_

_Status: Blind, Poison_

"Must be some kind of grunt," I mutter, grabbing one of my swords from its sheath and turning to Angel. "Let's do this! Haste!"

The spell takes hold instantly, Angel's movements nearly doubling in speed as I use my Angel Wing skill, a pair of white wings extending from my back and propelling me up into the air. Focusing once more, I call up one final spell.

"Flare!"

A beam of energy flies from my hand, annihilating several of the Felhounds as well as knocking an unaware Deathbringer to the ground. Without hesitating, I begin to fly over the woods, trying to keep up with Angel, who ran off during my spell.

For several minutes, I can't see Angel due to the trees below me, or much of anything for that matter. Soon enough, though, I enter the open expanses of the Calm Lands. Below me, I can see Angel still running, beginning to head down into the Calm Lands itself. Far away, I can see movement, Forsaken fiends scattered everywhere over the vast plains.

"Almost there," I mutter, beginning to head for the chasm.

* * *

—Calm Lands, Chasm—

* * *

A short time later, we find ourselves in the vast chasm of the Calm Lands, looking for clues as to the location of King Agamand's ancient castle.

"Where do you think it is?" I ask Angel, looking around the cavern walls.

"The book says it was buried, so I suppose it could be anywhere," he replies, also looking around.

The chasm is long, probably several miles long, and neither of us know just what kind of landmark to look for. For all we know, the place could be buried ten feet under our feet, and we would be none the wiser.

"Wonder what the castle looked like when it was still standing," I muse, walking along one of the walls.

"Probably like any other castle," Angel retorts.

"Funny," I reply, rolling my eyes. "Anything?"

"Nothing that I can see," he says, eyes wandering over a cluster of boulders. "Wait...stop."

"Huh?"

"Look over there," he remarks, pointing ahead of us. Following his gaze, my eyes fall upon a duo of Felhounds, standing in front of...

"Looks like the front door...or what's left of it," I say, looking over.

"Guess it's mostly buried now," he says, unsheathing both of his swords. "Come on."

"Right behind you," I say, taking my swords from my back and advancing.

The first Felhound never knew what hit it. One minute it's standing there, and a moment later Angel is standing nearly on top of it, blade driven firmly through its skull. Focusing, I teleport directly in front of the second, stabbing out and into its mouth, my sword exiting the top of its head. Both of them vanish into mist without so much as a sound.

"Simple," he says, looking up at what used to be the front entrance. Time and decay have broken some of the stone that made up the once beautiful monument, but now we can see part of it, jutting out from the dirt like a picture hung on a wall.

"Quite," I agree, nodding. "Let's get going." Quickly, I step inside the castle, Angel following closely behind.

The entrance is a long hallway, the stone covered in dirt and other minerals from centuries of solitude. Some of the stones have fallen from the wall, leaving a pockmarked trail leading up to the first room. Torches line the walls as well, and I light two of them with Fire spells, giving us some light to work with in the dim environs.

"Any clue where to go?" I ask, looking around.

"My best guess would be the very back of the castle," he replies, turning to me. "If the creature is here, that's more than likely where it is."

"Think so?"

"Better than flying blind."

"Good point," I say, conceding. Ahead of us, a snarl grabs our attention, as two Bloodfiends advance, raising serrated-edged swords easily as tall as myself.

"Blizzaga!"

My spell engulfs the first Bloodfiend, freezing it in place in a cocoon of ice, which I can see won't last long. Angel rushes the other fiend, ducking under a wide swing and burying his sword in its chest. The fiend looks more annoyed than hurt, and swings its free hand, knocking Angel away and making him lose his grip on the sword in its chest. Rolling with the momentum, Angel springs back to his feet, palm raised for a spell.

"Thundaga!"

The spell laces through the air, connecting with the fiend and frying it, the damage amplified by the metal sword sticking out of its body. As it dissipates into dust, Angel reclaims his other sword, turning to the frozen fiend. The ice cracks, then shatters, but I'm ready for it.

"Rough Divide!"

Running up to the fiend, I bring my sword flashing up, an aura of energy laying into the fiend and splitting it nearly in half. The fiend crumples to the ground and dissolves, as the two of us look around for any further threats.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing," Angel says, taking a final glance around the area. A heavy looking wooden door sits at the other side of the room, and the two of us stride over quickly to examine it. Tugging on the door, I grunt with the effort of trying to open it, but finally give up as the door doesn't budge an inch. Angel watches for a moment before stepping in front of the door, kicking it hard with his right foot. The door blasts inward, the aged wooden bolt that was holding it shut shattering under the force.

"How'd you..." I mumble, slightly stunned.

"It opens in," he says, looking somewhat amused at my mistake.

"I knew that," I say calmly, stepping into the room. When I do, I have to hold my breath to keep from gagging. The room might've once been a dining area, but it holds very little resemblance to that now. A table in the center of the room is broken in half, the two pieces strewn with rotten food and other objects. Several dead bodies litter the room as well, one speared to the wall by some sort of pole, another slumped in the corner with a gaping hole in its chest. Others lie strewn around the room, killed in fashions that only fiends would use. Skulls lie around the room like gory decorations and blood lines the floor in small trails, staining the once shining white marble with eerie lines.

"Apparently everyone didn't make it out before the fiends were sealed away," Angel says, walking around the room seemingly unaffected by the noxious odor.

"Guess not..." I manage to say, returning to covering my nose. "Think there could be other fiends here? These people couldn't have been sent, after all..."

"Possibly. We'll find out soon enough, more than likely," Angel replies, looking around the room. Three doors line the room, one on each wall, along with the one we just came through.

"Which way?" I ask, looking from door to door.

"Hm...left," Angel says, pointing towards the left door. Silently, the two of us leave the room through the opened door, leaving the grim scene behind.

* * *

The next few minutes are spent in silence, with the exception of dispatching a few more of the Forsaken grunts that cross our path. The halls seem fairly straightforward, no branches or side paths in sight anywhere.

"Look at this," I say, pointing to one of the walls. Several iron gates line parts of the wall, corpses all that remain of the people once behind them. "Looks like some sort of jail."

"Must have been for people who disobeyed," Angel agrees, looking around. There are around a dozen of the cells, some of them empty, some with remnants of bones and flesh. The area is eerily quiet, and a chill sweeps up my spine as I look around the jail.

"I don't like this. At all."

As if to punctuate my statement, scuffling suddenly breaks the silence, coming from the end of the hall. Both of us immediately turn to look, seeing nothing but the faint silhouette of a door, a dim light shining from the room beyond.

"Should we?" I ask, looking at Angel.

"Let's go," he says, sword held in front of him as he walks down the hall.

The room at the end of the hall is much like the other rooms we've seen. Strewn with dead bodies, blood, and pieces of furniture and banners that once decorated the room proudly. A lone figure stands at the center of the room, dressed in some kind of plate mail and carrying a powerful maul in his right hand. His long hair is blond with streaks of gray, giving his otherwise youthful face an older, frazzled appearance. Pyreflies float around the figure, proving his near-obvious unsent status.

"They told me you would come," the figure says, shifting his maul slightly, but making no other movement.

"Who are you...?" I ask tentatively. The figure gives a short chuckle, hefting the powerful maul onto his shoulder as if it weighed no more than an ounce.

"My name is Larazon Esfurious," he replies coolly. "I was once King Agamand's most trusted advisor...and then they came. They turned me into this...abomination," he spits, looking down at himself. "But...all that will soon change."

"And what makes you think that?" I ask, keeping a close eye on Larazon.

"Because you are here, of course," he replies, a strange edge to his voice that wasn't there before. "You are the key...you are the one. You will seal my escape from this tomb." The look in his eyes is one of insanity, driven to the edge over ages of torment. "Give me your life so that I may live again!"

_(Play: Malicious Fingers - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)  
_

Moving deceptively fast for a person glad in full armor, Larazon closes the short distance between us and hefts his maul, slamming it down as both of us move out of the way. The maul cracks the ground between us, and I inwardly grimace, looking at the power behind the swing.

"Plan?" I yell over to Angel, narrowly avoiding another swing from Larazon and slashing, also missing.

"Still working on it," he yells back, joining me in the attack with a slash across Larazon's back, plate mail screeching from the metal on metal contact. Larazon spins and swings wildly, Angel ducking under the maul before cutting Larazon's stomach, another deep scratch in the plate mail appearing. Larazon kicks out and catches Angel in the chest, hurling him back and causing him to fall, but roll backwards with the momentum.

"Blade Fury!"

Grabbing at my sides quickly, I throw two of my knives and continue to throw, a veritable storm of throwing knives striking and stabbing at Larazon. The plate mail deflects a great deal of them, but some stick in his forearms, one also stabbing him in the forehead and only serving to anger him.

"Spire!"

Running back up to Larazon, Angel stabs a dagger into each of his arms before jumping back and casting Thundaga, amplifying the electrical damage and causing Larazon's body to spasm wildly.

"You cannot deny me my strength!" Larazon screams madly, before his head suddenly snaps to the side, a result of a vicious punch from Angel.

"Tell it to someone who cares," I remark, aiming a palm at Larazon. "Doublecast: Blizzaga, Firaga!"

The ice spell encases Larazon in a casing of ice from his legs to his waist, before the Firaga spell hits, scorching his upper body and burning away skin and flesh from his unprotected face. Shaking with rage, Larazon smashes the casing of ice with his maul, hefting it again for another strike. Before Larazon can swing, however, his right arm goes limp, Angel's sword now sticking out of his shoulder. The maul falls, giving Angel a perfect chance to strike the back of his neck with the sword. A muffled sound comes from Larazon as he sinks to the ground, his weapon falling from his hands with a quiet 'clink.'

"My life...you...give me..." he manages to say, before falling still, pyreflies floating from the body.

_(End: Malicious Fingers - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)_

"What a lunatic..." I mutter, shivering slightly and looking at the pyreflies rising from Larazon's corpse.

"He's been around for centuries. I'm not all that surprised, really," Angel says, looking down at Larazon's body as well.

"I don't think he was the leader..." I mutter, looking around.

"I'm willing to say you're right," Angel agrees, beginning to step back out into the hall.

"Back the way we came, then," I say, heading back down the hallway that leads to the dining area.

* * *

This chapter was a little short, mostly because it served as the introduction to the castle itself. The plot will kick up again in the next chapter, so don't worry. As always, please read and review!


	9. I, I, IX: All Is Twilight

I would've had this chapter up sooner, but work and college were a pain this week. But, as promised, this chapter has a bit more action than last, as well as some more plot development. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter IX: All Is Twilight_

* * *

"I'm getting sick of this place already," I say, turning down another hallway.

"Stay focused. We're not done yet, you know," Angel replies, not taking his eyes off the surroundings for an instant.

We've been searching for the better part of 15 minutes since we encountered Larazon, and so far, nothing has turned up but burned and broken bits of wooden furniture, more bodies, and bits of stone shaken and bashed loose from the walls. We've seen remarkably few Forsaken in the castle itself, maybe a dozen and a half all total so far. Taking another step around a corner, my foot suddenly catches on something, throwing me forward slightly. Turning to look at the offending object, I discover that it's some sort of book, the pages worn and slightly burned, a small dust cloud floating away from the minor impact.

"Angel," I say, causing him to stop, "check this out."

"What'd you find?" he asks, and I kneel down, brushing dust from the book and holding it up.

"Some kind of book, looks like," I reply, opening it and looking inside. Most of the pages seem to be ripped out, others made illegible by centuries of wear. Several of the pages are still intact and legible, though.

"Anything useful?"

"If I could read it, I'd let you know," I reply, with somewhat of a chuckle. The pages, while clearly readable, are in another language, one that I know nothing about. Closing the book, I hand it over to Angel, watching as he opens the book and furrows his brow at the words.

"I don't know any more than you do on this," he says, after studying the pages for a brief minute.

"Well...we may as well keep it. Might find someone who can read it," I suggest, Angel nodding and tucking the book away into a pocket of his coat.

The two of us continue down the hall in silence, the only sounds the soft thudding of our footsteps on the stone floor as we approach another bend in the path. Rounding this corner, we're suddenly greeting by another exquisite-looking door, this one a dull gray with patches of white, signifying its once-pristine appearance. Carvings are etched into the stone door, depicting events that I can only guess about. Running my hand over the door, it comes away with a thick layer of dust, revealing more of the intricate designs.

"Important room?" I prompt, thinking out loud. "With my luck, it's a bathroom."

"Won't know until we go in, will we?" Angel says, ignoring my comment.

"Again, you're right."

Stepping aside, I watch as Angel grips the ancient rings and pulls the door, opening it outward, unlike the last door. The sight beyond the door makes me blanch.

At least two dozen Forsaken fiends of all types and several skeletons wait for us behind the door, but that isn't the worst of it. At the back of the room is an enormous figure, easily towering over us by twice either of our heights. The creature is a quadruped, resembling an elephant in size, but clearly demonic. Horns sprout from its forehead, curving back over its head like that of a ram, and a mouth full of snarling teeth are clearly visible. Two strong arms protrude from the upper body, making the creature resemble a centaur of myth in body structure, and the right hand holds a vicious looking double-bladed staff.

'_Or it could clearly **not **be a bathroom...'_

My swords are quickly raised in a defensive position, but neither of us make a motion to attack. Not exactly smart to blindly rush into a group of enemies that outnumber you at least a dozen to one, after all. The fiends make no motion to attack either, as the creature at the back takes this chance to speak.

"Who dares disturb the lair of Malthorious?" the creature booms, causing me to shiver a little from the sound.

"That would be us," Angel says casually, as if he's not even afraid. Judging from the look on his face, he may very well not be. Looking up at the massive creature, I take a moment to examine it, muttering the word for Scan magic under my breath.

_Pit Lord_

_HP: 49,014/49,014_

_MP: 3,978/3,978_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: Immune_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: None_

_Water: None_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: Immune_

_Non-Elemental: None_

_Status: All_

"So, you're the one leading these things," I say, prompting a scoff from the creature as it cuts me off from saying anything else.

"Silly mortals. I am not the leader of the Forsaken," it replies, in the same gruff voice as before. "I am merely...a general, as you creatures would call it."

"Did you invade the Calm Lands?" I say, a tinge of anger crossing my face.

"Invade? We are merely reclaiming what has always been ours. What you _mortals _took from us!" Malthorious declares. Hearing that is all I need to know.

"Let's kill it," I say to Angel, ready to slice the creature's head clean off its body.

"I can live with that," he replies, and the two of us step farther into the room as Malthorious commands his minions to attack.

_(Play: Fighting The Shadowy Gods - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)  
_

"Blizzaga!"

Aiming at the floor, I cast the spell, causing a wall of ice to spring up and block the fiends from us, if only for a few seconds. The fact that we can't cast high level spells such as Flare or Ultima, without risking damage and possible collapse of the castle, is going to prove to be a hindrance.

"Spire!"

Leaping onto a Deathbringer, Angel rams both his blades into the chest of the fiend, jabbing a smaller knife into its face before leaping off and casting Thundaga, the jolt of lightning electrocuting the fiend severely and sending it staggering. Spinning, I cut the skull neatly off of a skeleton, before cleaving another skull in half vertically. A sickening crunch comes from behind me, and I turn to see a Bloodfiend slump to the ground, Angel having somehow smashed it into the wall.

"Insolent pests!" Malthorious bellows, stomping forward on all four clawed feet, crushing several of his minions in the process as he twirls his bladed staff in front of him. The rest of the minions scramble out of the way in order to let their lord through.

"Oh boy..." I mutter, stepping back as Malthorious advances. Blocking a swing from another skeleton, I parry the blow, cleaving the walking dead in half horizontally before turning my attention back to the pit lord. Angel leaps over to me, having finished off another Bloodfiend and a Felhound, also turning his attention to the lumbering beast.

"I'll hold it off," Angel says, glancing at me. "If you've got something powerful, get ready to use it."

"Sure you'll be okay?" I ask, just before we both dive out of the way, Malthorious' bladed staff cleaving the ground in half where we once stood.

"I'll be fine!" he yells, cutting into the right foreleg of the pit lord. Snarling, Malthorious whips his staff around, missing Angel by several inches as he ducks, jabbing out and seeming to do little against the tough beast.

"The master will be pleased to see the heads of two more humans!" Malthorious boasts, slashing the staff down and digging a large trench into the ground.

'_Just a bit more...'_

Leaping up, Angel cuts at Malthorious' face with both swords, a jagged cut appearing across the creature's face before it retaliates. With a roar, it headbutts Angel, a vicious 'crack' sounding out as Angel is sent flying into the dirt.

'_Now!'_

"Haste!"

The magic flows through my body, easily doubling my speed as I call upon the attack I've been focusing for.

"Lion Heart!"

Time suddenly seems to slow for me as I hold my katana to its side, energy gathering and turning the silver blade a gleaming yellow. The energy shines brightly as I rush Malthorious, my speed well over twice as fast as normal as I bring the sword into his chin with a leap. The sword cuts through flesh and hits bone, and I continue to slash, making Malthorious' face and part of his upper body look like a mess of blood and torn flesh. Finally, I deliver one last strike, engulfing Malthorious in a small explosion from the force of the energy.

"Give it up," I say, turning away from Malthorious' now-mangled face and neck. "You're through!" Quickly, I begin to head over to Angel, who is slowly getting back to his feet from his position against the wall, thrown there by Malthorious' attack.

"To think...me, defeated by mere humans..."

"Angel, are you okay?" I ask quickly, helping him to his feet. Groaning slightly, he nods, before his eyes widen a little.

"Watch it!" he says, pointing behind me. Spinning, I look just in time to see Malthorious deliver one final charge, bladed staff held high over his head.

"Phase Shift!"

Focusing quickly, I leap into the air and through Malthorious, sword raised high over my head as I land behind him and return to the physical plane. Malthorious groans, before he slumps to the ground, dissipating into black mist and sparkles of light.

_(End: Fighting The Shadowy Gods - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)_

"And stay down this time," I mutter, placing my sword back in its sheath and turning my attention to Angel once more. "You sure you're okay?" I ask, concerned.

"I'll be okay. Not gonna say it didn't hurt, but I'll be okay."

Looking around, I notice that the remainder of the fiends that weren't killed have vanished. Apparently, killing the leader sent the rest of them running.

"Should we go on, then?" I ask, drinking an Ether down as well.

"Let's go," Angel replies, picking up his sword and heading back out the door.

* * *

Several minutes pass as we retrace our steps, eventually coming back to the very same dining room we've been in before. Quickly, we move towards the only door we have yet to explore, which creaks open slowly as we advance towards it.

"That's never good..." I mutter.

"Nope. Not for them, at least," Angel comments, and I shake my head.

"Guess we're invited to the party," I quip, stepping into the hallway beyond.

The hallway beyond is magnificent compared to what we've seen so far. Paintings and murals line the walls of the wide hallway, a layer of dust and dirt covering parts of some, and the entirety of others. Sculptures lay broken into pieces along parts of the halls, though some of the pedestals they once stood on remain upright. Small pieces of purple cloth line the floor, indicating that the hallway we're now in must have been very important when the castle was standing.

"Think we're getting close?" I ask, turning to Angel as we continue to walk. "We haven't seen a fiend for a while now."

"Maybe we are, maybe we're not. We won't know until we get there," he says, and I shrug.

"Can't hurt to be hopeful."

Another door lies in front of us now, elegantly decorated and easily thicker than any other door we've seen so far. Stepping up to it, Angel first tries pushing it open, then pulling it open. No luck either way.

"It won't budge," he says, and I nod.

"Don't want to do this, but...stand back," I say, charging up a spell. As Angel moves out of the way, I aim a palm at the door, energy flowing into my hand.

"Flare!"

The bright orange energy beam rockets towards the door, hits it...and immediately rebounds like a rubber ball thrown at a wall. Eyes widening, I quickly put up a Shell to take the brunt of my own spell, the energies fighting against each other before cancelling out. As the Shell fades away, I stare at the door with wide eyes.

"Okay...maybe it's going to be a bit harder than I thought," I murmur, stunned.

"Take a look at this," Angel says, gesturing for me to walk over to the door. Silently, I do so, as Angel points at two small indentations in the door. "Keyholes."

"Keyholes? Should've known...but if the door is locked, where are the keys?"

"Well, you haven't seen any keys in the castle anywhere, have you?" he asks, and I shake my head 'no.' "So, they must be somewhere we haven't looked yet," he continues, motioning to two doors on either side of the room.

"Great. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack...maybe worse," I say, sighing. "Should we split up? Each of us take a door?"

"Might as well," he says, turning away from the door. "We might not have much time left. We need to hurry."

"Got it," I reply, quickly casting Haste on both of us. "Let's move."

Without wasting any more time, I push open the door on the right side of the room and run in, my Hasted body carrying me down the hall quickly and easily. Nothing seems to be in the hallway to slow me down, and for that I'm silently thankful.

"Let's see...if I were a key, where would I hide..." I say to myself, looking left and right as I run through the hallway. Nothing is visible on either side of the hallway, but as I turn a corner I have to stop quickly to avoid running into a sturdy-looking door.

"Bingo."

Opening the door just a crack, I can see three figures inside, but they're nothing I've seen before. They resemble dragons, but two are a reddish-color, the third easily three times larger and a dark green. Both of them are practically see-through, as well, but more translucent than transparent. Also, all three of them seem to be asleep. Until now, I wasn't even sure if fiends slept.

"This is new...Scan," I whisper, placing my sword back in its sheath and looking at the largest dragon.

_Spectral Dragon_

_HP: 68,349/68,349_

_MP: 13,569/13,569_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: None_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: Immune_

_Water: Half_

_Holy: None_

_Dark: None_

_Non-Elemental: None_

_Status: All_

"Tough little fiend...well. Here goes nothing. Angel Wing," I say quietly, the wings extending from my back as I open the door wide enough to get through. Hovering above the ground, I silently make my way around the room, examining the walls, floor, and various objects lying about.

'_What have we here...' _I think to myself, looking at a small, shining key that is lying on a partially broken table, silver in color and inscribed with the image of a crescent moon. Pocketing the key quickly, I turn to leave...only to come face to face with the Spectral Dragon, glaring at me with eyes seemingly a solid black.

"Uh oh."

With a screech that awakens the other two dragons, particles of energy begin to gather in its mouth as I float away, just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning that lances from its mouth and blasts into the wall.

"Doublecast: Firaga!" I yell, the two spells exploding from my hand and engulfing the face of the creature. It does little to deter the fiend, however, and bolts of fire and ice head towards me from the other two dragons, accompanied by a large blast of fiery energy from the Spectral Dragon. Dodging the large dragon's attack, I'm hit by the fire blast from one of the smaller ones and tumble around in the air, my shirt and chain mail scorched from the attack.

"I can't waste time here..." I mutter, righting myself in the air and calling up a spell I rarely use. "Doublecast: Death!"

A grinning specter suddenly appears in front of one of the smaller dragons, holding a scythe in its right hand. With an evil chuckle, the spirit thrusts its clawed left hand out into the dragon, pulling a red orb out from nowhere and crushing it in its hand. Instantly, the dragon shrieks, exploding into dust that falls to the dirt. A similar fate meets the other small dragon, leaving me alone with the Spectral Dragon.

Landing on the ground again, I quickly reach for my throwing knives, hurling a large number of them in my Blade Fury attack. Unfortunately, the knives go straight through the dragon, sticking in the ceiling above. Rolling out of the way of another burst of lightning, I curse my luck as I prepare another spell.

"Shell!"

As the pinkish-red barrier surrounds me again, I float back up to the dragon's level, grabbing my sword from its sheath.

"Phase Shift!"

Turning ethereal, I strike at the dragon, the attack connecting as if we were both on the physical plane, confirming my thoughts.

"Only physical attack I can hit it with is Phase Shift, since it's really ethereal-based...Doublecast: Firaga, Blizzaga!"

A gout of flame smashes into the dragon's face, disorienting it, before a burst of ice obscures its vision. Using my distraction, I quickly call up some of my remaining energy and teleport out of the chamber, leaving the dragon to its own devices.

* * *

Reappearing near the locked door, I stride over, digging the key out of my pocket and trying it in the first lock, which fails. The second one fits the key, however, and I leave it there, turning to the door on the left. After a few moments of waiting, Angel runs in, seeing me and nodding in acknowledgment.

"Find it?" I ask, and he nods, pulling a key from his coat, a bright gold in color. As he inserts it into the other lock, I notice that it has the inscription of the sun on it.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Let's do it."

The two of us turn the keys at the same time, and step back from the door. Lines of energy run from the keys over the door in an intricate pattern, and we both watch as a faint 'click' is heard, the large double-door swinging open softly to allow us access into the hall beyond.

* * *

Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. We're almost at the end of this quest...but the story is just getting started. As always, please read and review!


	10. I, I, X: Fate's Hand

Well, with this chapter comes the end of the first "side quest" of the story. More will follow, of course, alone with the main plotlines of the story.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter X: Fate's Hand_

* * *

One door lies in front of us. Simple, right?

Wrong.

I'm not completely sure I want to find out what's behind the door. After seeing Malthorious, I'm a slight bit disturbed at what might be waiting for us. Angel, however, looks completely fine.

'_Wish I was that calm.'_

"Coming?" Angel asks, from several feet in front of me. Realizing that I had stopped in the middle of the hallway, I shake my head for a moment to clear it, before nodding.

"Yeah."

Unsheathing both of my swords once again, I tense as Angel begins to open the door, expecting anything on the other side.

Unfortunately, I don't believe I was expecting _quite _everything. What I see on the other side makes me nearly gag in revulsion. In front of the partially broken throne sits a large creature, appearing to be nothing more than a bag of gray flesh, pulsating wildly. A large eye sits near the top of the creature's body, and several tentacles slither around at the base of the creature's body.

"What _is _that thing..." I mutter, having to turn away for a moment to keep from depositing my lunch on the floor.

"The leader," Angel replies, without missing a beat.

"Humansss..." the thing hisses, the voice simply heard in my mind, not spoken. "Pitiful creatures..."

"Just what are you!" I yell, trying to get over the creature's grotesque appearance.

"I am that which is dead...that which is born from the flesh and blood of the fallen..." it moans, shifting slightly as the eye focuses on me. Just having the thing watch me is sending a shiver up my spine.

"Scan," I murmur, seeing Angel do much the same as myself.

_Forsaken One_

_HP: Unknown_

_MP: Unknown_

–_Guard–_

_Fire: None_

_Ice: None_

_Lightning: None_

_Water: None_

_Holy: Weak_

_Dark: Immune_

_Non-Elemental: Half_

_Status: All_

'_Not a lot of help, but it's weak to Holy energy. Excalibur should work well, since I can't really cast Holy, unless I want to bring the whole room down on us,' _I think, trying to devise a way to take the thing out quickly.

"Ready?" Angel asks, swords out and poised to strike.

"Let's get this thing," I reply, dropping into a fighting stance.

_(Play: Flash Over - Matsueda, Eguchi; Final Fantasy X-2 International/Last Mission)  
_

A haunting cry suddenly sounds through the air, coming from the Forsaken One. Responding to the cry, several Voidwalkers phase into existence, immediately beginning to engage us to protect their leader.

"Go for the leader! I'll hold these guys off!" I yell to Angel, who nods, running past the Voidwalkers and towards the Forsaken One. Splaying my fingers wide, I charge energy into my hands, sending it out as a duo of Blizzaga spells towards the two closest Voidwalkers. They stop, frozen in their tracks by the icy magic, as three more advance.

"Inverse!" Angel yells, holding a sword wreathed in white energy to the sky. A portal opens up near the Forsaken One, coating the fiend in white energy. A moment later, the energy explodes, sending a small shockwave through the room and causing the Forsaken One to shriek in pain. The tentacles at the bottom of the fiend's body stiffen and begin to whirl around it, several of them striking Angel before slamming him into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Angel!" I cry, before screaming in pain as a Firaga spell from one of the Voidwalkers sends me to the floor from the unexpected attack. Quickly, I rub out a small flame on my shirt, before casting a quick Cura spell on myself and standing up.

"Shell!"

Casting the magic, the reddish-orb of protective energy surrounds me and vanishes as I prepare to engage the offending Voidwalker. Dodging away from a Waterga spell, I rush the fiend, going straight into a Phase Shift attack as I run. Swinging hard, my sword cleaves the fiend in half, and I turn to watch a Blizzaga spell spear another Voidwalker completely, courtesy of Angel. Turning away, Angel returns to engaging the Forsaken One, as I prepare to finish up the last Voidwalker.

"Say goodbye to your life...or what's left of it," I mutter, switching my sword from a normal grip to a stabbing grip and bringing it behind me. Keeping my body low to the ground, I run in a half-crouch towards the Voidwalker, rolling under a Thundaga bolt before springing to my feet and calling my attack.

"Crescent Strike!"

Spinning hard, I bring my sword up high, watching the energy wave slice completely through the head of the Voidwalker. An eerie moan sounds as it bursts into smoke, and finally, I turn to help Angel engage the Forsaken One. Flipping my sword back to a normal grip, it begins to shine with white light as I call up the energy of Excalibur, hoping to seriously harm the creature. The Forsaken One notices my tactic and sends several tentacles at me, hoping to strike me down before I become a threat. Darting to the side, I cut through one of the tentacles with my Holy-enchanted sword before my vision is blocked by a gray object, another tentacle bashing into my face and sending me spinning to the ground. The sword falls from my grip as blood spurts from my nose, and I clench my teeth, stifling a moan of pain as Angel lops off another tentacle from the Forsaken One.

As immobile as the creature may be, it's extremely durable, the tentacles regrowing themselves as fast as Angel cuts them off or wounds them. Muttering 'Curaga' under my breath, I can feel the magic flow over me as I stand up, my magical energy quite depleted now. Pulling an Ether from my pocket, I quickly drink the potion, picking my sword back up and watching as Angel unleashes another Inverse attack on the Forsaken One, with much the same results.

"Angel!" I yell, looking over at him. "I've got an idea! Keep the tentacles away from me if you can!"

In theory, my hastily-made plan should work. At least, that's what I'm hoping as I call on my Angel Wing skill, taking flight as the tentacles continue to strike at the both of us. Dodging one, I cut another in half as a third comes at me, this one taken care of by Angel as I fly near the ceiling of the room, high over the Forsaken One. Two tentacles come at me from either side, and I quickly dive towards the ground, watching the tentacles smash into each other, seconds before Angel slices the both of them off from the creature as well. An eerie screech echoes through my mind from the Forsaken One, the creature in agony from having so many of its tentacles sliced to pieces.

"Let's see just how durable you are!" I yell, white energy gathering around my hands as I hold them above me. "Holy!"

Screaming the word for the spell, I thrust my hands downward at the Forsaken One from my position in the air, almost directly over the creature. The beam of light rockets down, blasting into the fiend with devastating force and eating away at its body, as well as causing the whole room to tremble from the impact. When the smoke clears, the creature is still alive, but greatly weakened, black blood oozing from cuts and other wounds as it sits in a large crater in the ground formed by the attack.

"Can you finish it off?" I yell down. Angel nods, energy flowing into his swords.

"Swords of Heaven!"

Angel's swords lift him into the air, where he hovers for a moment before slashing outward, falling to the ground as two shockwaves slam into the Forsaken One. The creature shrieks once again, even more loudly, as black smoke begins to spew from the body.

_(End: Flash Over - Matsueda, Eguchi; Final Fantasy X-2 International/Last Mission)_

"You will never...be rid of me..." the Forsaken One pulses, still convulsing. "It is impossible to rid the world of death..."

"Maybe we can't, but we can sure set back your plans," I mutter, watching as the creature slowly turns into a black substance, which collects on the floor and melts into the hole left by the Holy spell, black smoke still rising from the area. Replacing my sword in its sheath, I turn to Angel, intent on getting out of this place as fast as possible.

"Ready to..."

I trail off as I look at Angel, not expecting what I see. Instead of his normal face, his face looks different now, his eyes having narrowed and taking on a slightly yellowish tint. I can see hints of fangs alongside his normal teeth, and I take an involuntary step back after a moment.

"Who...what are you? Are you one of them!" I yell, grabbing my sword again. Angel just stands still, shaking his head.

"I'm not one of them, Ben. I'm just a vampire," he says calmly.

"_'Just'_ a vampire! And you didn't think that was something I needed to know?" I say, stunned and somewhat frightened by Angel's change in appearance. As I watch, Angel's face changes back to normal, reverting back to a human appearance in the blink of an eye.

"No...at least, not now," he replies.

"...Sure," I reply, after a moment. "Let's just get out of here..." I continue, beginning to run back through the castle, Angel following.

* * *

Several minutes later, we find ourselves outside the castle once again, the sounds of battle becoming closer to our current position. Quickly, the two of us head upwards and out of the chasm, running back into the Calm Lands before stopping to rest for a moment. In the distance, we can see the Bevellian soldiers and everyone else, fighting off the remainder of the Forsaken. Their numbers seemed to have dwindled significantly since we left, and they seem to be losing ground rapidly as well. Fiend after fiend fall before the combined might of Yuna's group and the Bevellians, and we head towards them in order to regroup.

"Hey! Yuna! Guys!" I yell, as the two of us approach our comrades. "We did it!"

"Great!" Yuna replies, smiling as she shifts back from her special dressphere to her normal Gunner dressphere. The last of the fiends are stricken down as Angel and I catch up to Yuna's group, and I take a minute to kneel down and catch my breath from running so far.

'_I'm glad that's over with.'_

"We've almost finished clearing out the Calm Lands," Yuna explains. "The commander said that he would take care of the rest. The Ronso have cleared out Gagazet, and everywhere else is reporting that they've either finished the fiends off, or are almost through."

"Just what we needed," I say, standing up again. "Some good news for a change."

"What did you guys find in there?" Tidus asks, looking over at us.

"Everything," Angel replies, stepping past us and towards the Celsius, which had landed nearby.

"He's right," I add, looking at the blitzer, "we found just about everything in that place that you could imagine."

'_And some things you probably can't...'_

Shouts are now heard, and off in the distance I can see the commander's forces engaging another group of the fiends.

"I say we get some rest," Paine says, taking a look at the sky and seeing the sun beginning to set. A general chorus of agreement comes from all of us, and we head back towards the Celsius, intent on taking a well-deserved rest.

* * *

"Glad to be back to more...normal settings," I say to no one in particular, opening the door to my room and stepping inside.

"Ben."

Letting out a small cry of shock, I step back as I see the face of Bahamut, standing silently in front of me.

"You need to quit doing that...you nearly gave me a heart attack, you know?"

"Forgive me. I have something I need to tell you."

Stepping inside and shutting the door behind me, I shift back to my Warrior dressphere, sitting down on the bed.

"Shoot."

"Mistress Freya has instructed me to inform you of this. You must go to Gaia, along with Angel," he says, looking calm. I, on the other hand, am not so calm.

"Whoa...wait a second here. Gaia?" I ask, standing up again with a look of shock plastered onto my face.

"Yes, Gaia. You are not familiar with it?"

"No, no, I'm quite familiar with it...just, why there? Am I supposed to go alone? What's so important about me going there?"

"Patience. Even Mistress Freya does not know all. She merely knows that you, as well as Angel, are needed in Gaia. Why, she either does not know as of yet, or would not say," Bahamut explains.

"Okay, time out. I have to ask right now. Freya? Who is that? I've heard you mention her before, but the name isn't ringing a bell," I say, thoroughly confused now.

"Mistress Freya is the supreme goddess of our reality, as well as others. She rules over all, mortal and immortal alike."

"Then...why doesn't she know? I mean, she's essentially all-powerful, right?" I continue.

"You are partially correct. While the Mistress rules over reality, she does not do so alone. There are three other gods and goddesses that serve directly under her, representing the fundamental principles of existence. Fate, destiny, and what will happen."

"I see...so, what happens if I decide not to go?" I ask, still pondering over the information that Bahamut has given me.

"Fate will continue to run its course, regardless of the decisions made. That is one thing that even immortals cannot change."

Sighing, I sit back down on the bed, looking at the floor for a moment before turning back to face the fayth.

"I need some time to think about this..."

"I understand. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. I will know when you are ready."

With that, Bahamut vanishes, leaving me alone with my thoughts. That is, until a knock on my door breaks the silence just moments later. Standing up and opening the door, I see Angel leaning against the opposite wall.

"Can I come in?" he asks, and I nod.

"Sure."

Stepping inside, Angel looks around the room for a moment before turning to face me.

"Ben, you need to go."

"What? Why?" I remark, shocked for the second time in just as many minutes. "And how did you even know anyone just said anything to me?"

"Because," Angel replies, "the fayth talked to me before I came here. They told me that I would need to find you. They didn't say how, they just said that it would be important."

"So that's why you were at the tournament..." I say, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "You were there looking for me."

"That's right. I was in Luca and overheard some people talking about how you were going to be at the tournament. So, I entered. I figured it was the best way to meet you, and see what you were capable of doing at the same time." Growling a little in frustration, my hands slowly clench and unclench, my teeth pressed tightly together as well.

"So, what? I should just leave Rikku here, alone, without saying anything?" I say, turning away from Angel.

"No. I'm saying that we should talk to them. Let them know what's going on."

"Hold up...I haven't even said I was _going _yet, and you're saying to talk to Rikku about this?" I say defensively, turning back to Angel with my arms out wide.

"Ben, listen...take it from me. When the fayth says something like that, chances are, it's a good idea to listen."

I have to concede the point to Angel at that. The fayth has always been right before; who am I to argue with the logic of things now?

"...Fine, fine...I'll talk to her tomorrow. But right now, I'm going to get some sleep," I say, finally forfeiting the argument to Angel.

"See you tomorrow, then," Angel says, stepping out of my room and shutting the door behind him. Sighing, I take off my shoes, climbing into the bed and burying my face into the pillow, eventually falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Well...now we move into the next part of the story. Things will pick up from here on out, as Ben finds out that everything in Gaia isn't exactly how he thought it would be; in fact, some things are nowhere close. As always, please review!


	11. I, I, XI: Journey

Well, finally, we move into the main setting of the story. It'll be a lot of twists and turns from here on out, so get ready...

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter XI: Journey_

* * *

The Celsius is eerily quiet, a far cry from the atmosphere of happiness just yesterday after the defeat of the Forsaken. My thoughts, however, are anything but quiet. Ever since I woke up, I've been wondering the same thing over and over; namely, just why Angel and I should be the ones to go. No clear answer has come to me yet, and the only thing I can figure out is that somehow, someway, it's just meant to be. Besides, who am I to question the fayth? Like Angel said, they've been right so far. And the fact that they _are_ essentially gods, after all.

Stepping into the bridge, I can see the familiar faces of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, as well as Tidus, Shuyin, and Lenne. The former three are sitting on one side of the bridge, conversing among themselves, and Tidus is apparently pestering Shinra to show him something on his computer. Shuyin and Lenne also appear to be talking, though they're much more quiet about it than Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.

'_Everyone's together…good. It'll make this simple. Well, as simple as it's going to get, anyway.'_

"Guys?"

"Hey, Ben," Yuna says, smiling as she looks up at the stairs where I'm currently standing. Stepping down, I walk over to the group, Rikku giving me a quick kiss as I approach.

"I've got something I need to talk about," I say, sitting down.

"What's on your mind?" Yuna asks.

"It's…complicated," I say after a moment, my face scrunching up in a look of slight frustration. "The fayth talked to me yesterday, after we came back here. He said that I needed to go to Gaia with Angel, but wouldn't tell me why."

"Gaia?" Tidus asks, a clear look of confusion on his face. "Where's that?"

"It's…well…the simplest way to say this? It's another world completely. Really, I guess you could say another dimension," I reply, earning a look of surprise from Shuyin and Lenne. Yuna and the others seem calmer, already knowing that I'm from another dimension entirely.

"So...you're leaving?" Rikku asks slowly. Silently, I just nod, and Rikku's face turns to one of determination. "Then we're coming too!"

"Rikku, but-"

"No buts! We're coming with you, and that's that!" she says firmly, holding a hand up to silence the comment I've already opened my mouth for. "Besides, the fayth didn't say we _couldn't_ come, did he?"

There's something to be said for Rikku's logic, simple though it may be.

"She's right, you know," Yuna agrees, stepping up beside Rikku. "If you go, you might need our help. You don't know why you're even being called there."

Giving up, I utter a sigh of exasperation, shaking my head and looking over at Yuna and Rikku.

"Alright, alright...fine. You've proven your point already." Looking around the room at Paine and the others, I send a questioning glance their way. "You guys up for it?" Paine sends a mute nod my way as a sign of assent.

"You bet!" Tidus says enthusiastically, which amuses me as I quickly remember his reaction when he first came to Spira from the future Zanarkand.

"It will be...interesting, I believe," Shuyin chimes in, Lenne nodding as well.

"I guess that's that, then," I say, just as the bridge door slides open to reveal Angel, who steps in silently.

"You ready to go?" I ask the vampire, who just nods.

"They're coming too?" he questions, and I nod. "Thought so."

"You don't care?"

"Not really my place to decide, don't you think?" he retorts, causing me to shrug.

"Guess all that's left is to tell the fayth, then," I say.

"No need."

Apparently, Bahamut was listening, as no sooner are the words out of my mouth than he appears.

"Are you ready to leave, then?" he asks, all of us nodding our approval. "Good."

"Just one thing," Tidus breaks in, looking confused. "Just what is Gaia, anyway?"

"Gaia is a world much like Spira. However, Gaia is much more technologically advanced than Spira is. In Gaia, magic such as the magic that you possess is rare. Most people acquire the use of what is known as 'para-magic.' People are able to learn more advanced forms of para-magic, but they are few and far-between. Sorceresses have no such limitation, and can manipulate energy almost freely. Gaia is also home to several facilities known as Gardens, which train most of the world's military forces. There are three Gardens currently; one is in the plains region of Balamb, one is in the rocky, mountainous region of Galbadia, and the last is in the icy region of Trabia. Balamb Garden also has an elite group of mercenary forces known as SeeD."

"Just what are we supposed to do when we get to Gaia? And for that matter, where are we going?" Yuna asks the fayth, who turns to her.

"I will send you to the Balamb region. As for what you must do...even we are not sure."

"Still up for it, guys?" I ask, looking around. "You don't have to go, you know."

"What, and let you have all the fun? No way!" Tidus jokes, chuckling.

"He's right. We're not going to back out now, you know," Yuna adds, nodding.

"Then I guess we're ready," I say, turning to Bahamut, who nods.

Beginning to chant, Bahamut folds his hands together as if in prayer, as a sense of dizziness overtakes me. Looking through blurry sight, I can see everyone else suffering the same effects. The entire area around us seems to blur and warp, in fact, twisting around us like ocean waves. As quickly as the feeling began, though, it subsides, the area returning to normal and leaving Bahamut standing in front of us with an impassive face.

"There. It is done. All else is left to you. This journey is what you make of it."

With those final words, Bahamut vanishes, leaving all of us alone on the bridge.

_(Play: Overture - Yoko Shimomura, Parasite Eve)  
_

"Hey! Check it out!" Tidus yells from the front of the bridge, staring out the large front window. The rest of us head over to the window quickly and look outside, examining the beautiful landscape. The area is mostly open plains, but several small groups of trees dot the area, smaller forests of a kind. Far off to the east of us, I can see sandy beaches, and to the northwest of us, I can see a large area of upturned earth. That isn't all that we see, however. A massive structure floats near the area, the front of the structure apparently turned towards us.

The structure is easily several times larger than the Besaid temple, a pristine white and blue in color. It resembles a futuristic ship, except much more compact. Compact, however, isn't really the appropriate word. The structure is easily several hundred feet high, and even more than that in length. A rounded hull sits on top of a glowing, yellow ring, slowly rotating under the structure and apparently giving it the lift it needs to stay in the air. A pair of large spikes also extend from the back of the structure, apparently acting as some sort of tail fins or rudders.

"Incredible..." I breathe, looking at the Garden ahead of us.

"What is that...?" Yuna asks, mouth agape at the sight. "It's huge..."

"That, Yuna, is Balamb Garden," I reply, continuing to look over at the flying building. "I'll explain more later."

"The whole building is flying!" Tidus exclaims, still looking at the Garden. "But...but how!"

"Hey, don't look at me. I don't know how it works," I say, shrugging.

As all of us watch, the Garden stops floating, lowering itself to the ground slowly. The yellow ring underneath begins to float up, crackling energy surrounding it as it moves towards the top of the structure. The bottom of the structure flattens out, giving it the necessary support to stay level with the ground, as the structure hits the ground with a cloud of dust.

_(End: Overture - Yoko Shimomura, Parasite Eve)_

"I hate to interrupt, but it looks like they noticed our sudden appearance," Shuyin cuts in, pointing towards a smaller object on the ground. It appears to be some sort of amphibious vehicle, heavily-armored from the looks of things. And it's heading straight for us.

"They sure got their act together fast..." I mutter, watching the approaching vehicle. Sighing, I begin to head for the exit of the Celsius, as Yuna puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to them, let them know we don't mean any trouble. After all, we did just appear out of the middle of nowhere, you know," I reply, stepping out of the bridge. Footsteps behind me let me know that everyone else is following me, and they quickly catch up as we head to the exit.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Balamb, Plains | 1:17 PM]

* * *

When we arrive at the exit, the vehicle has already unloaded its cargo. Four people, who appear to be SeeDs shouldering powerful rifles, as well as three others. One is a teenage boy, wearing a pair of blue shorts that come down just over his knees, as well as a black shirt. A black, short-sleeved jacket covers that, the front portions of which are red, and I can see the boy tug irritably at a pair of fighting gloves over his hands. The most outstanding feature is the black tattoo covering almost the entire left side of the boy's face. That, and his spiky blond hair give him a very outgoing appearance.

The second figure is a slender girl, her body covered in a somewhat short, one-piece yellow dress, with two straps over her shoulders. Her short, brown hair is a contrast to the other boy's appearance, her bangs curling along the sides of her face. Gripped in her hands is a pair of nunchaku, the bars easily a foot to a foot and a half long each.

The third figure is easily the most imposing. Dressed in a black leather jacket, black pants, and a pair of black boots, the figure is shouldering a weapon that resembles a sword, but instead of a normal handle, the weapon appears to have some sort of revolver fused with the handle. A long cut runs across the bridge of his nose, from above his left eye to below his right eye, and his brown hair is cut short, much like the girl's.

"Don't make any sudden movements, and there won't be any problems," the black-clad figure states, motioning to the others with his free left hand. Instantly, the four SeeDs fan out, surrounding the exit to the Celsius in a semicircle, as the other two figures take up positions to his left and right. "Now. Tell me who you are."

"My name is Yuna," Yuna says, stepping beside me, "and this is Rikku, Paine, Tidus, Shuyin, Lenne, Angel, and Ben," she says, pointing to each of us in turn.

"We don't mean you any harm," I say, keeping my hands at my side. "I'll make that clear now."

"Be that as it may," the apparent leader continues, "you understand the precautions."

"Of course," I reply quickly.

"Since you've introduced yourselves, I think we should do the same. The person to my left is Zell Dincht, and the one to my right is Selphie Tilmitt. I am Squall Leonhart, Commander of Balamb Garden's military forces," the leader says, causing a shiver to run down my spine at the name. Even though I know who he is, knowing who he is and actually seeing him in person are two entirely different things. His eyes are cold enough to send shivers down my spine, and he appears to be all business, from the tone of his voice.

"We can explain how we got here...but, is there anywhere where we can talk in private?" I ask, looking at Squall. Squall just nods, turning back towards the vehicle.

"We can go to my office in Garden. Unfortunately, this vehicle is only designed to hold up to ten people. Three of you can come with us."

"Got it." Looking for a moment at Zell and Selphie, I turn back to Yuna and the others. "Yuna, I think that you, Angel, and I should go."

"Sounds fine to me," she says, looking around. "Anyone have a problem with that?"

"Go ahead," Paine says. "We'll wait here."

Nodding, Yuna approaches the vehicle, followed by myself and Angel, the three of us climbing into the back of the vehicle. Selphie takes the driver's seat and Squall the passenger's seat as the four SeeDs and Zell climb into the back of the vehicle, taking a seat on the bench-like cushions along either side. The doors on the back shut automatically, and Selphie spins the vehicle around sharply, heading back to Balamb Garden at a speed that I'd call less than safe.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Balamb Garden, Third Floor, Squall's Office | 2:13 PM]

* * *

"And that's basically it," Yuna says, finishing up her explanation. For the past 20 minutes or so, as best I can tell, Yuna and I have been explaining our adventures in Spira, beginning from the start of our careers as sphere hunters and explaining nearly everything up to our fight with Vegnagun. Angel has spent most of that time listening to us, but adding in his own commentary about the tournament and some of his training beforehand. Squall, Zell, and Selphie have been patiently listening to our story, and were noticeably less shocked than I imagined at the mention of our origins in another dimension. My guess is that it has something to do with their experiences in Time Compression. Squall seemed to quirk an eyebrow at the mention of Darius' name as well, which piqued my interest.

"So...you looked like you recognized Darius' name," I begin, looking over at the Commander. "You know who he is?"

"Not Darius, no. I do, however, know his father. Darius Sr. DeValle is the new headmaster of Trabia Garden."

To say that my jaw drops would be an understatement.

"Wha...you're kidding! The headmaster? This has to be a joke..."

"It's no joke. The DeValles funded most of the reconstruction of Trabia Garden, and supplied much of the manpower as well. As a result, the Garden committee nominated Darius Sr. DeValle to be the new headmaster not only because of his help with rebuilding, but his leadership during the reconstruction," Squall explains. I can only stare in disbelief.

"I'm gonna have to see this for myself before I believe it," I mutter, getting a chuckle out of Zell.

"He's telling the truth, man," Zell says, folding his arms. "I've seen it. They really did a nice job, too. Makes Galbadia Garden look shabby." Selphie seems to take a bit of pride in that statement, being a Trabian native.

"So where is this...Trabia Garden?" Yuna asks, still looking somewhat confused.

"To the east of where we currently are, in the Balamb region," Squall says. Pulling a small map from a shelf, he unrolls it onto the table to give us a general idea. "We are here," he says, pointing to a small island in the center, "and here is the Trabian region," he continues, circling a large portion of the eastern continent. "Trabia Garden is in the mountains of the region."

"I'm surprised that you can tell us this," I comment, causing Squall to look my way.

"If what you've told us is true, then you pose no threat to us, or any of the Gardens. However, we will be keeping an eye on you for a while, just to make sure."

"Besides," Zell cuts in, "I doubt that even a ship like yours could take on the entirety of a Garden's force."

"Our ship isn't even armed, really," Yuna replies.

"Then that's one less thing that we have to worry about," Squall retorts, handing the map to Yuna. "You can use this map to navigate the world, as you may not be able to use your computers to find one."

"Thank you, Commander," Yuna says, and I nod.

"Thanks."

"Call me Squall," he replies, standing up from his chair. "Good luck on your search." Quickly, he heads for the door, Zell and Selphie following Squall as he heads for another office on the third floor.

"That wasn't so bad," Yuna comments, standing up and turning to the two of us. Angel just shrugs.

"It could have been worse. They could have thrown us in the brig the minute they saw us," he says wryly.

"Ever the comedian," I say, rolling my eyes. "Let's just get out of here. I want to go see Trabia for myself. If that's okay with you guys, that is."

"I don't see a problem with it," Yuna says.

"There's something I need to grab first. I'll meet you guys back at the Celsius," Angel says, as the three of us step into the elevator, descending to the first floor.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Celsius, Bridge | 2:41 PM]

* * *

"How'd everything go?" Rikku asks as Yuna and I walk back into the bridge.

"They're letting us go, but they're going to keep an eye on us," I reply, walking over and sitting down.

"They gave us a map of the world, too," Yuna says, stepping over to Brother and handing him the map. "It'll come in handy."

"Now, all we have to do is wait for Angel," I say, prompting a look from Rikku.

"What's he doing?"

"Getting something from Garden, he said," I retort, turning around in my chair to fully face her. "Must be important."

As I finish my sentence, the bridge door slides open, Angel stepping in and looking over at Brother.

"Mind opening the cargo bay?" he asks, causing Brother to give him a strange look.

"Why?"

"For my car," Angel replies nonchalantly.

"Whoa. Wait a second. Your car?" I say, a small grin creeping over my face.

"Yeah. I'll show you, if you want," he replies, turning and heading out of the bridge. Thoroughly intrigued now, I follow, unsure of just what to expect.

* * *

"This is my car. I call it...the Angelmobile."

"You're kidding," I say, stifling a bout of laughter.

"Not a bit," he retorts, completely straight-faced.

"Did you name it?" I continue, pressing on.

"Nope. I can't remember just who gave it the name, to be honest," he says. "But it just stuck."

The car in question appears to resemble an old Plymouth GTX, gray in color. The car, despite appearing old, has been kept in remarkably nice condition. The gray paint is shining like almost new, and the top is down, revealing the four seats that are also in near-perfect condition.

"Pretty nice ride," I say, whistling softly at the car.

"It has a certain charm to it," Angel replies, stepping over and into the driver's seat as the cargo bay door opens. Stepping out of the way, I watch as Angel drives the car inside, turning it off and getting out as the door to the cargo bay closes.

"So, we're going to Trabia now?" Angel asks.

"Guess so. Not sure if Yuna told Brother or not," I reply, shrugging. As the two of us begin to head out of the cargo bay, the Celsius suddenly shakes, and the familiar feeling of lifting off overtakes both of us. "Well, I guess we know now."

"Yeah," Angel agrees, as the two of us step into the elevator, headed for the bridge.

* * *

Well...I am certainly glad that is over with. Despite how important this chapter is to the overall design of things...I hated to write it. I took a great deal of time just trying to perfect the descriptions and make sure that everything was coherent. As always, please review!


	12. I, I, XII: Arrival

First off, I apologize for the extremely delayed update. A whole lot of college/other work to do, combined with a fantastic (read: overwhelmingly annoying) case of writer's block, accounted for the problem. But, in good news, I finally have time to write once again. So, without further hesitation, on with the chapter!

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter XII: Arrival_

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia, Plains | 4:26 PM]

* * *

"We'll be approaching Trabia in about...ten minutes, give or take a few," Buddy instructs, glancing back from his control panel to the rest of us.

"Alright," Yuna replies, nodding. "Just let us know when we're there."

"Just what are we going to do when we get there?" Rikku asks, looking at Yuna.

"Check the place out, of course," I cut in, looking over at my girlfriend. "What else?"

"Lunch?" Rikku replies, cheekily.

"I opened the door..." I mutter, shaking my head as Rikku giggles along with Yuna.

"Looks like she slammed it on you, Ben," Angel cuts in.

"Thanks. I needed that," I say dryly, wandering over to stand near Rikku.

We entered the Trabian region a few minutes ago. Everyone was quickly reminded of the climate of Gagazet, what with Trabia's harsh winds and bitter temperatures. The beauty of the snow-covered plains and mountains, however, more than made up for the slight change in climate. Down below, we happened to see a smaller village, one that Angel quickly identified as Shumi Village. That led to an explanation about just who the Shumi were, one that amused me at Tidus' expense.

"I'm picking up something on the sphere screen," Buddy tells us, pointing to the larger screen over the bridge.

"Trabia Garden?" I ask, moving over to get a better look.

"Looks like it," Angel replies, also stepping over. As the image clears up, the sight makes my eyes widen.

Not only has Trabia Garden been rebuilt, it's better than ever, if anything. The entire structure is enormous, easily larger than either Balamb or Galbadia Garden by far. The structure, by large, resembles Balamb Garden in the architectural sense, but even more streamlined than the other Garden. Where the ring would be at the bottom of Balamb Garden, Trabia instead has nothing; however, the compound itself is more spread out. If the ring is indeed the main source of flight for Balamb Garden, having one for Trabia would do little good, as the building is too large and spread out for flight to be an easy task. Smaller buildings dot the area around the main complex, making the Garden seem even more like a military installation.

That isn't all for Trabia Garden, however. In the distance, partially built into one of the mountains, I can see another building that resembles a medieval castle. The details are a bit fuzzy from the distance we're at, but I'd guess that the building is just as big, if not bigger, than Trabia Garden itself. To the innocent observer, if most of the world hadn't known that Trabia Garden was once destroyed, most people would never know it from looking at the area now.

"Just land somewhere around here," Angel instructs, turning to Buddy. "Wouldn't want them to think that we're attackers. We can walk up to the main Garden." Buddy simply nods, slowing the Celsius and beginning to descend as the rest of us continue to examine the Garden through the main window.

"Is the other Garden as big as this one?" Yuna asks, looking over at Angel.

"Nope. Galbadia Garden is smaller than this one. Mainly because it's even more strict about military affairs than either of the other Gardens," Angel replies.

"How long has it been since Trabia was destroyed, Angel?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Hm...just under a year, give or take a month or two," Angel says after a moment of thought.

'_Nearly a year after Time Compression...anything could've happened between then and now.'_

The Celsius finally touches down onto the snowy plains of Trabia, bits of snow flying everywhere as our ship comes to a halt. Quickly, I head for the exit, wanting to see the large Garden in more detail.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Gates | 4:39 PM]

* * *

It isn't long before we reach the outside of the Garden. Myself, Angel, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and Tidus are the only ones who decided to come; Shuyin, Lenne, Brother, Buddy, and Shinra opted to stay behind. The sun is shining brightly overhead, but it does little to warm the ambient air. Luckily, it isn't snowing right now, or it would probably be a lot colder.

Far off in the distance, I can see a large group of people, probably SeeDs of some sort, training outside in the plains with various weapons. However, it is what is closer to us that piques my interest. Two people are standing several yards apart, weapons drawn in obvious preparation for a duel. The figure on our left is a young boy with short, jet-black hair, wielding a pair of elegant rapiers. His blue jacket is clearly military, with yellow stripes of some sort along the right shoulder. His long blue pants and black boots complete the outfit, and he stands tall while facing the other figure.

The other figure is an older male, with longer brown hair that spikes out to the sides somewhat. His outfit consists of a black shirt with sleeves ending halfway between the elbow and wrist, with a red line from the collar down to the chest, and two silver lines running parallel to either side of that from the shoulder to the waist. His black pants are much the same type as the other figure's, as well as his boots. The exception is a silver line on the left leg of his pants, and possibly the right as well. In his right hand is a beautifully crafted katana, and his left hand seems to be completely metallic, with small sharpened blades taking the place of his fingers.

Before we can blink, the battle has begun, the brown-haired combatant racing at his opponent with blinding speed and bringing the katana down in a cleaving blow. His opponent waits until the last moment to counter, blocking the strike and lunging out with a rapier, only to have it swatted away by the figure's clawed left hand. A stab from the same hand is dodged, both rapiers moving in a sweeping arc that is blocked by the katana, pushing both blades down and away. Both figures step away from each other, as white light gathers around the rapier-wielder.

"Holy!"

A beam of light shrieks towards the katana-wielding figure, whose eyes widen as he quickly draws a magical sign in the air. The Holy spell engulfs him then, a deafening explosion of energy lighting up the area.

The next move belongs to the rapier-wielding figure, as he backflips high into the air, just in time to avoid a trio of bursts of fire that explode from the debris kicked up by the Holy spell. As he lands from the flip, the katana-wielder is already upon him, slashing hard and fast with his glowing, clawed left hand. The rapier-wielder deftly blocks each slash of the claw with some sort of fiery red energy barrier, before ramming his shoulder into the chest of his opponent, catching him off-guard. A spinning slash follows, driving the swordsman back as the black-haired figure launches into a series of rapid slashes.

The brown-haired swordsman ducks under the first slash of the rapiers, knocking away each of the next two with both his katana and claw before dodging and countering the next few strikes, small cuts tearing the shirt of the rapier-wielding boy. The boy backs off several yards, white light gathering around him again as the katana-wielding figure, sensing his opponent's move, begins to draw another magical symbol in the air.

"Ethereal...Blast!"

"Thunder Flare!"

A dense blast of pure white energy erupts from the rapier-wielding boy, slamming into his opponent. His opponent's attack, a sphere of electrical energies, engulfs him as well, shocking him severely as both attacks kick up a cloud of dust. As the smoke clears, both figures are revealed to be standing, the rapier-wielding figure's clothes smoking slightly from the force of the electricity. His opponent merely smirks.

"Not bad."

"It's what I do," the black-haired boy replies, putting away one of his rapiers. "En guard." The katana-wielder doesn't miss a beat, slashing down and back up with the katana so fast that it's hard to follow the movement.

"Air Slash!"

A wave of pressurized air blasts from the sword, the rapier-wielder dodging nimbly around both it and the katana-wielder's subsequent charge. The katana-wielder aims low with his sword, delivering a swift blow that's blocked by the rapier. The brown-haired swordsman's stance then shifts as he strikes hard at his opponent's left side, tearing through both clothes and flesh to deliver a long gash across his side. The rapier-wielder winces just slightly, spinning back and beginning to glow once again, the white light mixing with a yellowish-looking aura. The katana-wielding figure tenses, green energy gathering around his clawed hand before he thrusts it out.

"Palm of Destruction!"

The energy roars towards his opponent, who takes the blast unflinchingly, the energy protecting him from harm before surging into his blade, a whitish-blue aura surrounding the rapier.

"By the name of the house of DeValle, I cast thee into the pit! Judgement...Requiem!"

One moment, the black-haired boy is yards away from his opponent, sword glowing brightly. The next, he is several yards behind the brown-haired swordsman, his glowing rapier now dimmed. One word is uttered.

"Defeat."

The area around the katana-wielder suddenly explodes ferociously, pieces of dirt and debris nearly evaporating from the force of the white energy that tears a crater into the ground. All of us shield our eyes, unable to look at the bright energy burst.

The light finally dims, revealing the effects of the attack. The katana-wielder is supporting himself on one knee and his katana, the sword stabbed into the ground as he leans over, breathing heavily.

"I...concede the fight," he gasps, looking over at the rapier-wielder. The black-haired boy just nods, placing his rapier back in its sheath before falling to a knee and placing his hand over the large cut on his side, blood slowly flowing from the cut.

"You made sure I wouldn't forget it," he replies, wincing.

"Those are the breaks..." the brown-haired figure says, smirking. Quickly, he draws another symbol in the air, white light gathering around both of them and mending their wounds. "You're improving."

"You're not making it a simple matter," the black-haired fighter responds, looking over at his opponent.

'_More Symbology...' _I think to myself, watching both fighters intently. Both fighters seemed to have near-flawless technique, and immense amounts of power to back it up, if the last attack is any indication. With a final nod to each other, the brown-haired fighter walks off towards the Garden, as the other fighter turns to us.

"Welcome to Trabia Garden. I am Katanas DeValle, the head Combat Alchemy instructor here at the Garden," he says, bowing slightly in respect. Nodding, I return the bow, everyone else doing the same before Yuna steps forward.

"I'm Yuna," she says, smiling, "and these are my friends." Yuna then turns to us, waiting for us to introduce ourselves.

"I'm Rikku! Nice to meet you!"

"Paine."

"My name's Tidus."

"Call me Angel."

"Name's Ben."

"A pleasure to meet all of you," Katanas says, nodding. "I'll assume that this is your first visit to Trabia Garden?"

"That's right," Yuna says.

"I see. I'll have Darius show you around, if you wish," Katanas replies.

"We'd like that," Yuna agrees, nodding.

"Right this way, then," Katanas says, as we all begin to follow him towards the entrance to Trabia Garden.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Lobby | 4:54 PM]

* * *

If Trabia Garden looked big on the outside, it's even more massive on the inside. There are three main floors to the Garden, it appears, instead of Balamb's two. The lobby area is quite large, several desks lined up at the far side of the room with a set of double doors between each pair, and to either side at the ends of the row. Benches also line the walls, the seats covered with brown leather. Over near one set of double doors, I can see Darius talking with another figure, who tells him something before walking back through the doors. Darius turns to us, only to frown slightly as he sees our group with Katanas.

"I'd ask how you got here," he says, "but I really don't care all that much."

"Nice to see you too, Darius," I say flatly.

"If you wouldn't mind, Darius, please show Yuna and her friends around the Garden," Katanas says, more of a statement than a question.

"But, Katanas-"

"Darius..."

The look on Katanas' face is stern, and Darius sighs, giving up the brief argument.

"Alright, fine...come on. Sooner I do this, the sooner it'll be done with," he mutters, motioning for us to follow.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 6-B | 5:06 PM]

* * *

"This is one of our classrooms," Darius says, leading us inside a large, empty room. It resembles one of the classrooms at Balamb, but the desks are even more advanced and more numerous. There are at least 60 desks in the room, not counting the two at the front for the instructor's use.

"Most of our desks were made in Esthar. That's why they're more complicated than the ones at the other Gardens," Darius explains, seeming to sense our impending question.

"How many students do you have here?" Paine asks, curious.

"Anywhere between six thousand and eight thousand," he replies.

'_That's a lot of students...'_

"Now, on to the next stop," Darius says, turning and beginning to walk down one of the long corridors. The six of us follow him for several minutes, turning down another hall and walking into a room even larger than the first. It appears to be some sort of lab, with magical items and other materials placed on shelves and in cases. The desks aren't desks at all, but instead long tables with chairs, spanning a large 'U' shape around the room.

"This is one of our Alchemy labs. Anything that our students do in a class concerning Alchemy takes place here, short of actual practice after learning the basics," Darius explains, taking us inside. I just look around the room, watching as Tidus, Yuna, and Rikku pick up several items and examine them. Darius' face gives a slight look of annoyance, but it's gone before any of the three notice.

"You can come back and look later, but I'd like to get this over with. I've got a class to teach in about...20 minutes."

"You teach here, too?" I ask, curious. Darius just nods, as if we should already know that fact.

"I teach Gunsmithing. My older brother, Revolver, teaches Blacksmithing, and Katanas teaches Combat Alchemy, along with other things," he replies.

"I see..." I mumble, taking a final glance around the room as Darius leads us out.

Around 10 minutes later, we approach what seem to be the dormitories for Trabia Garden. Stepping over to a door, Darius snaps, the lock unlocking itself automatically. Pushing open the door, Darius steps inside the doorway, leaving the light off. In the dim light, I can see several boxes stacked on a desk, as well as a bed. Not much else is in the room that's visible to us, with the exception of a chair or two and television.

"This is my pad," he says calmly. "It's pretty nice. But...I do need to clean it up first." Quickly, he shuts the door, as Angel's face turns to one of confusion.

"What was that?" Angel asks.

"The papers?" Darius remarks, shrugging. "Just some information I've gathered on a few people."

"I mean-"

"Well, anyhow, that's all for my little tour," Darius says, cutting Angel off before he can continue. "Feel free to look around." Another snap, and I can hear the door lock itself once again. "Just stay outta my room." With a final cold look, Darius vanishes, leaving all of us standing around in the dormitory hallway.

'_That was odd...' _I think to myself, eyes traveling between the door and Angel.

"Well, you heard him," Tidus says. "Shouldn't we look around a bit more?"

"Yeah! This place is huge, Yunie!" Rikku says, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh...I guess so," Yuna says. "We can meet up at the Celsius later, okay?" Nods from all of us confirm the statement, before each of us wanders off in a different direction to explore the rest of Trabia Garden.

* * *

Finally beginning to set the stage for the entirety of the story...at least, location-wise. Still a lot more to be described, which will continue next chapter. As always, please review!


	13. I, I, XIII: Exploration And Experiences

I'm sorry that this chapter took so long. I toyed with ideas as for how to progress, turned around and scrapped it...repeat ad nauseum for about 2 weeks. Finals coming up are not helping matters, either. (Going for my Associate's in Science...yippee!) Once I finally got something solid to work with, however, I wrote the chapter in two days. Anyway...read on and enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter XIII: __Exploration And Experiences_

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Revolver DeValle's Shop | 6:27 PM]

* * *

It's easily been an hour since we split up to explore Trabia Garden, and truthfully, I'm not even close to done exploring all that I want to see. I've explored most of the rest of the unoccupied classrooms, as well as lots of other things inside Trabia Garden. Outside, I've seen a food court with nearly any kind of food you could imagine, as well as an enormous training area. Now, I'm in some sort of series of shops. Gunsmithing, item stores, potion shops, all sorts of shops covering nearly anything you could want.

Curious, I step into a blacksmithing shop, instantly having a metallic smell assault my nose. Swords, knives, axes, maces, and other weaponry line the walls, everything in order and place. Slowly, I turn a circle around the room, examining all of the weaponry adorning the walls.

"Are you going to buy something, or are you just going to stand there?" a gruff voice says from the back part of the room. Turning, I find myself staring at an older teenager, with long bluish-white hair that flows down to his waist. His outfit is long and flowing; both pants and shirt are white with touches of black, the sleeves covering his hands from view. A white length of some kind of fur also seems to be draped over his right shoulder. A yellow sash is tied around his waist, and a pair of swords are belted to his left side, one sheath over the other.

"Calm down...I was just looking around. You don't have to get snappy," I retort.

"Well, it's hard not to, what with you lower-class peasants acting like you have no sense," he replies, sarcastically.

"Lower-class?" I reply, a bit harshly. "Just who are you, anyhow?"

"Might as well introduce myself," he grumbles, shaking his head. "My name is Revolver DeValle, and I'm the head blacksmith here at Trabia Garden. Now, if you aren't going to buy anything, I suggest you leave. I'm a busy person here, and I don't have time to deal with people like you."

"Fine," I say, stepping out quickly and letting the door swing shut behind me, before heading farther down the rows of shops.

"Somehow, I think I've explored enough," I mutter, turning around and heading back for the main gates of Trabia.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia, Plains | 6:35 PM]

* * *

Soon, I find myself walking not back to the Celsius, but out onto the snow-covered plains of Trabia, looking for monsters to train against. I can immediately see several Bite Bugs flitting around, but I want more of a challenge than that. Slowly, I begin to jog farther out, eyes open and actively scanning the area around me for trouble. I don't have to look far.

A duo of Mesmerizes and a Gayla suddenly seem to decide that I'm intruding on their territory, the Mesmerize nearest to me flinging its razor sharp blade towards my neck. Spinning away, I watch as the blade boomerangs back and reconnects with the creature's forehead. Dashing up quickly, I blast a Firaga at the ground to cover my advance with an explosion of snow and melted ice, before leaping high into the air. My blade flashes down, and the Mesmerize's horn falls off neatly, severed near the base. Another flash, and the creature's head goes with it. The second Mesmerize is outraged, and immediately charges at me, as I see the Gayla charging a spell. Timing it carefully, I begin to run at the Gayla, the Mesmerize following me in a full run. As the Gayla releases a powerful Meltdown spell, I leap to the side. The creature behind me, however, is not so lucky, and is engulfed by the magic.

"Rough Divide!"

Charging back up to the Gayla, I leap for the sky with my blade beside me, cutting deeply into the Gayla and nearly splitting the fiend in two with one attack. As I land, I can see the remnants of the other Mesmerize, broken and burned on the ground. Slowly, I walk over to the creature's corpse, cutting off a piece of the horn and putting it away. I do the same with the other severed horn, and walk off, in search of another fight.

* * *

After walking for several more minutes, I come upon four Glacial Eyes. Weak monsters, compared to some of the things out here, but I'm not complaining.

"Firaga!"

My spell catches the Glacial Eyes off guard, as one of them erupts into flames, causing the others to scatter. Two run off, as the third turns to me, a retaliatory Blizzaga spell flying at me even as the other fiend sinks to the ground. I duck under the spell, but that seems to be what the Glacial Eye wanted. Now, it's point-blank to me, and it slams the bottom part of its body into my chest, knocking the wind out of me and sending me rolling head over heels. Wiping the snow from my face, I try and catch my breath before attacking again, a horizontal cleave that keeps the Glacial Eye away from me long enough to stand up again.

"Alright, that's enough outta you," I mutter, clenching a fist as time seems to slow down for me. "Renzokuken!"

My first slash is decidedly short, forcing the Glacial Eye away more than doing any damage, but the second is spot on. A piece of one of the creature's tentacles falls to the ground, shortly followed by a piece of the other as I slash in again. The next slash misses, going just over the creature's head, but the fifth finishes it, cutting down from where the creature's left shoulder would be to its right hip and effectively bisecting it. Looking around quickly, I look for any trace of the other two Glacial Eyes, and smile as I see them some distance away, moving towards some kind of rock formation.

Silently - well, as silently as you can move in snow, anyway - I begin to run towards the Glacial Eyes, noticing that most of the other fiends seem to have left the area. Just makes it simpler for me to hunt down the two that got away from me, at any rate. The Glacial Eyes turn around the rock formation, to a point where I can't see them any more, and I frown. As I finally begin to catch up with them, I turn around the rock formation to reveal...nothing. The Glacial Eyes are gone. Walking out in front of the formation, I soon see why. The entire front of the rock formation is actually the entrance to some kind of cave. Staring at me from the entrance of said cave are the two Glacial Eyes I've been chasing, along with about three other Glacial Eyes. None of them look very happy, and I have to take a quick defensive position as spikes of Blizzard magic begin raining at me from all five fiends. Running to the side to take a breather, I call up Fire magic before running back into range of the monsters.

"Doublecast: Firaga!"

My first spell explodes in the midst of the enemies, destroying one of the Glacial Eyes where it floats and scattering the rest. That gives me enough time to leap in and cleave one of the remaining four in half, cutting the numbers down to three. Quickly, I call up a Shell spell around me just in case, before heading towards another of the Glacial Eyes.

"Crescent Strike!"

Swinging my blade through the air, I watch as the energy wave slices through two of the remaining enemies, leaving one Glacial Eye floating there, very alone and very outmatched.

"Firaga!"

That Glacial Eye barely gets the chance to turn before it gets incinerated by the spell, and I smile in satisfaction before turning back to the cave.

"To go inside, or not," I muse, looking inside. "Well...I don't think it can hurt. They're probably all still inside Trabia right now." Carefully, I step inside the icy cave, taking care not to slip on the patches of ice that litter the floor. The area reminds me a lot of the inside of Gagazet, with stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. I can see several ice-based fiends such as Ice Flans and Glacial Eyes around, and even some other fiends such as Snow Lions.

"Looks like it's exploring time," I say, keeping one of my swords out and beginning to advance into the cave. A few of the Ice Flans and Glacial Eyes in front of me scatter, leaving a clear path for me to take into the next area of the cave. "Great. When I want to train, the fiends run away. Just great." Shaking my head in disdain at my seeming bad luck, I simply head for the next area of the cave, walking along a twisted corridor of ice. A few bat-like fiends are hanging from the ceiling, but they make no move to attack as I walk past.

The cave, apparently, is rather short. I can see what appears to be the end of the cave already, opening up into a somewhat large chamber with a ring of stalagmites around the area. Other than that, it's empty. Taking a careful look around, I step inside, walking to the center of the room and turning in a circle once.

"Nothing."

Shrugging, I turn around, beginning to step out of the room, when a voice seems to float into my ears, as soft as the snow itself.

"Who steps into my domain..."

That makes me stop in my tracks, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Hello...?"

"I ask again...who enters the domain of Shiva, the ice goddess?"

Shiva? For a moment, I pause, looking around, and then I realize - I'm standing in the middle of the GF Shiva's chamber. I start to leave, thinking that if I'm fast enough, I can get away, before stopping. I came all the way out here to train, hopefully to get stronger. What better way to get stronger than by beating and acquiring the use of a GF's power?

"Benji Powell."

"Have you come to challenge me, mortal?"

"I have."

"Very well. But know this - I will not render my aid easily. Prove that you are worthy to use my power!"

A bright flash of whitish-blue light suddenly comes from the center of the chamber, clearing to reveal the GF Shiva in all her glory. Quickly, I take the other sword off my back, twirling them both before dropping into an offensive stance.

_(Play: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)  
_

Before I can blink, three spears of ice are flying at my face, Shiva having simply manipulated the latent air around us to create and throw them, not a spell of any kind. I duck and roll, the spears smashing to bits on the wall around me as I spring back to my feet, sword lunging for Shiva...who gracefully moves out of the way, kicking me squarely in the face as she does so and sending me flying back.

Rolling with the kick, I slide across the icy floor, coming into a kneeling position and stabbing both swords into the ground before blasting a Doublecasted Firaga spell at Shiva. The GF flips around both attacks, a Blizzaga spell erupting around me in retribution and chilling me to the bone.

'_If I'm going to win, I'm going to have to work harder than this...'_

"Overdrive Reels!"

Concentrating, I watch mentally as the attack runs its course, and I suddenly spring from my position, heading towards Shiva and leaping into the air, bouncing off of her shoulder and into the air as my sword glows with light. Swinging the sword down, multiple energy beams fly from the blade and sink into the ground, which explodes underneath Shiva and cuts her with icy pieces of earth. As I land, I can see the numerous cuts that I just inflicted vanish, the wounds sealing themselves over like they were never there.

Shiva just smiles, the same icy smile on her face turning into a look of apathy a moment later as blue energy begins to gather in her hands. Immediately, I put up both Shell and Protect spells, hoping to lessen the brunt of the attack that I know is coming. Both the blue energy barrier and the reddish-pink energy wall appear in front of me as Shiva releases the energy, a torrent of ice and snow assaulting me and forcing me to put both swords in front of me to defend. The ice freezes any and everything around it solid, including me, before Shiva calmly snaps, a storm of ice exploding around the entire arena and slicing into me and my defensive spells. My clothes now look like they were attacked by razor blades, many small cuts tearing through the fabric of my shirt, pants, and even my chain mail armor. Shiva seems to take a breather now, and I take my chance to attack.

"Fated Circle!"

Spinning in place, I send the energy wave towards Shiva, following the attack in a sprint towards the GF. Shiva leaps over the wave, which slams into the wall, and I jump into the air to meet her, already anticipating the evasion.

"Flare!"

Holding my palm nearly to her chest, I let the energy beam fly, exploding into Shiva and throwing her back into the wall as an explosion of dirt and ice covers everything around her.

'_That had to cause some damage...she can't have taken a Flare to the chest and be perfectly fine.'_

Indeed, when the dust clears, Shiva _is_ wounded. Numerous burns seem to dot her skin, and several bad cuts from the rocky wall of the room cut across her arms and chest. Even as I watch, however, the wounds are vanishing.

"Not bad...for a mortal like yourself," Shiva says, icy energy beginning to gather in the air around me. As I look up, eyes skimming the air, I can see an entire ring of ice spears around me, all angled down. Casting Haste on myself, I leap out of the way of the first with barely an inch to spare as it crashes to the earth, sticking up from the ground like a makeshift stalagmite as the others begin to rain down. Spike after spike hits the ground, but the Haste spell allows me to keep ahead of them, if only by mere inches. Finally, as two of them crash to the dirt in front of me, I jump, leaping off of the ice spears and into the air directly above Shiva before letting my attack fly.

"Ultima!"

The dark energy ball appears around Shiva, expanding slowly, before exploding, engulfing Shiva and sending me into the wall of the room back-first, a crack sounding as I slump to the ground, dazed from the impact and unable to get my bearings for the moment. The world around me is buzzing, my ears are ringing from the explosion and my sight is blurry from hitting the wall, but I can make out Shiva's form, crouched in the center of the room without a mark on her.

"You've shown me that you are worthy, mortal. For that, I will join you," Shiva says, and blue light gathers around her, forming into a small stone and floating over to me, before dropping into my hand.

_(End: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

Slowly, painfully, I get back to my feet, looking at the small, blue stone in my hand.

"In hindsight...Ultima wasn't the best spell I could've used right there..." I mutter, casting Curaga on myself and feeling the ache in my back and head go away slowly. As I start to walk out of the room, another thought hits me, a painfully obvious one now that I take a moment to stop and think about it.

"I'd go ahead and junction Shiva, but...it would probably be nice if I knew _how _to junction, first." Sighing, I walk out of the room, intent on heading back to Trabia and learning about junctioning.

* * *

[March 17, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Gates | 7:02 PM]

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, I find myself stepping back inside the front gates of Trabia Garden. If I had to guess, I'd say that Katanas would be the most knowledgeable - and nicest - person I could ask about junctioning, and so I've decided to ask him. The problem is that I have no idea where to find him.

"Can I help you?" one of the front receptionists asks. I had thought my confusion wasn't obvious, but apparently I was mistaken.

"I'm looking for Katanas DeValle. Would you happen to know where he is?" I ask, and the receptionist nods.

"Go through this door," she says, pointing to her right, "take the elevator to the third floor, and his office is the door at the end of the hall. I'll let him know that someone's here to see him. Your name?"

"Benji Powell," I reply, nodding. "Thanks." Quickly, I step through the door and into the elevator beyond, pressing the button for the third floor. The elevator quickly ascends, slowing to a stop at the third floor as the doors open to let me exit. Silently, I step out, seeing a long hallway with a large door at the end. I head for that door, walking up and stopping in front of it, before knocking quickly three times.

"Enter," the voice on the other side says, and I push the large door open, stepping inside Katanas' office. The office is very neat, with bookshelves lining the walls as well as a sword rack on one side of the room, several elegant looking swords and sheathes adorning it. An oaken desk sits at the back of the room, Katanas sitting quietly there and writing on a paper. As I approach, he looks up, motioning to one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Sit," he says, and I do, taking a seat as he continues. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," I say, pulling the GF stone from my pocket. "I'm pretty sure you know what this is."

"A GF stone...Shiva, it would appear. I am correct in assuming that you earned it earlier today?" he asks, and I nod.

"I just got back, really," I reply. "But...I've got a small problem. I have no idea how to junction...anything."

"Most people, except for SeeDs, have little to no experience with junctioning things such as Guardian Forces," Katanas says, "though most people do have experience with para-magic. I would also be correct in assuming you wish for me to explain junctioning to you, then?"

"If it's not too much to ask," I say. "I'd really like to know how to use junctioning to help me in battle."

"I'll show you the basics of junctioning," Katanas explains, "but I'll leave it up to you to experiment." Placing the papers aside, Katanas holds a hand out, white light gathering in his hand and forming into a similar stone to the one that I have, except a milk-white in color. "Now, the first thing to know about junctioning is how to sense the power. This is needed more for Drawing energy rather than junctioning itself, but is important just the same. Just holding the GF stone you have in your hand, you can feel the power, right?"

"Yeah," I say, "I can feel it." The energy feels warm, almost like it's flowing out of the stone, into my hand, and all through my body before going back to the stone.

"Good. Now, place the stone on the desk, and close your eyes." Nodding, I do as instructed, putting the stone down and shutting my eyes tightly. "Can you sense the magical power inside you? It will be faint at first, but focus hard. You'll be able to feel the power, and 'see' it inside your mind."

At first, I'm not sure just what Katanas is talking about, but I begin to feel a glimmer of warmth, and start to almost see the colors representing the different magic spells that I know inside my mind. It's fuzzy, however, and I have a hard time keeping 'sight' of the spells in my mind.

"Okay, I've got it," I reply.

"Good. You can open your eyes now. What you've just done was access the magic needed for junctioning. The GF will make it easier for you to do that, but you can learn to do it on your own."

"Oh..." I murmur, looking at the stone.

"Now, take the GF stone there and hold it in your hand," Katanas instructs, and I do so, picking up the blue stone and feeling the power run through me again. "This time, I want you to focus on the power inside the stone. Once you can feel it, you need to will it to come inside you, join it with the energy that's already inside your body."

"I'll try," I say, looking intently at the stone. I can easily feel the power running through the stone, but trying to draw it inside of you is a whole other story. Unblinking, I try to pull the power from the stone inside of me, bit by bit, but the energy doesn't seem to move. "It's not working..."

"You have to keep trying. The first time junctioning is always the most difficult," Katanas replies. "It's just like calling up the magic inside you to use a spell. But this time, instead of pushing the magic out, you're bringing it into you. Imagine the magic flowing into you, becoming one with you."

Nodding slowly, I look down at the stone again, trying to will the energy to join with me. Slowly, the stone picks up a blue glow, and suddenly it seems to melt into my hand, startling me.

"There. You've successfully junctioned your first Guardian Force," Katanas says, smiling slightly. "How does it feel?"

"_Hello."_

"She's...talking to me," I say, blinking.

'_Hi,' _I reply, a bit distracted at having someone talking, essentially, inside my head yet again.

"_It seems this is the first time you have junctioned a Guardian Force such as myself," _Shiva says, her voice warm and soothing. _"It is a different experience, is it not?"_

'_Very...' _I say mentally, the outside world seeming to disappear as I speak. I can feel Shiva's power everywhere at once, seeming to flow through my very body and mind.

"_Rest assured, you will grow used to it in time. My power will aid you both in and out of battle, as long as that power is not misused."_

'_Thanks,' _I say, not sure of what else to say to the Guardian Force. I can feel her presence grow silent in my mind, and I snap back to reality, finding Katanas watching me with an almost amused look.

"I assume you were talking to Shiva, then?" he asks, and I nod.

"Yeah...it's a bit...strange to have someone talking inside your head with you...well, something, really. Something that powerful, at least," I say, deciding to leave out my prior experience with this type of situation. "It's almost like she's sharing my mind with me."

"Guardian Forces, essentially, do share a mind with the one that junctions them," he explains. "They take up a place of residence in the person's mind in exchange for using their power. Think of it as a tradeoff. They must have a way for you to access their power, after all." Clasping his hands in front of him, Katanas continues. "Now then, you wished to know how to junction magic?"

"Yes," I reply.

"Very well. Now, remember what I told you about bringing up the energy of your magic? Do that again, but don't let it go this time," Katanas says, and I nod. Concentrating, I close my eyes again, feeling the magic come back to my mind once again. This time, however, it's more defined and clear, and easier to hold on to.

"It seems easier this time," I comment, opening my eyes but keeping a hold on the magic. Katanas just nods.

"Shiva is helping you see your magic," he replies. "In essence, she's training your sight to notice the magical essence itself, even when you can't really see."

"I get it," I say, closing my eyes again. "Now what?"

"Focus on a specific type of magic. Let's use Fire magic for now. Single out the Fire magic in your mind, and focus on it alone."

Calmly, I push away all the other magic types, bringing my full focus onto the Fire magic.

"Now, this will be tricky. You have to focus the magic in a way that deals with what you want to boost. For instance, focus it more in your arms and legs if you want to increase physical strength, or over your whole body to help your defense or magic defense. Shiva will help you, as long as you know what you want to do with the magic."

"Okay," I say slowly, turning my attention back to the junctioning. Concentrating hard, I imagine the magic spreading all over my body, in my arms, my legs, my chest. The magic seems to fade away from my mind, until it appears to be gone completely. As I open my eyes, I notice that my body feels stronger, able to take more damage than before.

"I think it worked," I say, looking over my body carefully. It doesn't seem any different, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to in the first place.

"Try junctioning another magic to your strength," Katanas says, and I nod, picking out Blizzard magic in my mind and focusing on it. In my mind, I imagine the magic flowing into my arms and legs, strengthening my punches and kicks. The magic slowly fades away, and I open my eyes. This time, I can definitely feel the change.

"I'm pretty sure that worked," I tell Katanas, standing up. "I can feel it..."

"It works the same for helping defend or increase things like elemental defense, or status spells. You can change how susceptible you are to a certain magic, by junctioning it to your defense. Practice junctioning your magic to different attributes, and you'll eventually find it easy enough that your needed focus will be significantly less." Nodding, I bow to Katanas as a sign of respect.

"Thank you, Katanas. I really appreciate it."

"I've had lots of people ask me to explain the junctioning methods to them. Think nothing of it," Katanas replies, and I nod again before stepping out the door, shutting it behind me and beginning to head back to the elevator.

* * *

I had a lot of fun writing the junctioning explanation. That's probably my favorite part of this chapter. Maybe it's just my love of writing technical things. Anyway. Until next chapter, please read and review!


	14. I, I, XIV: Higher Powers

Well. I wrote this chapter all of two days after uploading the last, but then found myself having a run of bad timing as the login system went down. Oh well. Finally, we begin to move into the first major "main quest" of the story. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge_

_Chapter XIV: Higher Powers_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Elevator | 1:47 PM]

* * *

The whirring sound of the elevator does little to distract me from my thoughts, which at the moment are focused on one thing.

Guardian Forces.

Namely, my attempts to remember what I can about them, other than the basics. I know that Guardian Forces are commonly perceived as avatars of things that exist in nature. Quezacotl embodies storms, Shiva embodies ice, Ifrit embodies flame, and so on. So, if that perception of the Guardian Force's true nature is correct...then that means that Guardian Forces are essentially gods or goddesses.

"_That is correct."_

Apparently, Shiva can read my thoughts to some extent while junctioned.

'_So, you guys are some sort of gods?'_

"_As you would define the word, no. However, clearly we are not mortal. Guardian Forces such as myself cannot be killed, in the true sense of the word. We may be incapacitated for a time due to the strain of maintaining defensive barriers over the one that is summoning our power, but there is no way to truly kill a Guardian Force."_

'_So you're immortal.'_

"_If you wish to put it that way, yes. We do not reside on this plane of existence, but merely make ourselves manifest in a form that mortals such as yourself may understand and see."_

I had generally assumed that there was another plane of existence that was the home of the gods, specifically Freya, but I really don't know a whole lot about it. But now...maybe I can get some answers.

'_So what is this 'other plane of existence,' anyway?'_

"_It is known among mortals as the Ethereal Realm. Essentially, it is the realm of the gods, such as Freya and Odin. Few mortals get to experience the sights of the Realm, but there have been humans who have traveled to the higher plane."_

That gave me a good deal of surprise. Out of all the things I had expected to hear, that certainly was not one of them.

'_Freya lets humans into the realm of the gods?'_

"_Under rare circumstances, yes, humans are permitted into the Ethereal Realm. For the past few centuries, it has only been for special training. Those permitted were chosen by Odin himself."_

'_Odin? I thought he was a Guardian Force, like you?'_

"_Odin is not just any mere Guardian Force. That title would be incorrect. Odin is the god of war, and even in the Ethereal Realm, few are capable of even matching his strength. However, Odin lends his strength to those that have proven themselves exceptionally capable in battle. That is where the misconception of his nature as a Guardian Force arises."_

'_Oh...'_

"_You seem rather curious about the higher plane," _Shiva says, giving the mental equivalent of a smile.

'_Well, I came here because, supposedly, Freya said that I needed to be here for some reason. I don't know anything about her, or this Ethereal Realm you talked about. The only thing that I really know about that classifies as a godly being is Hyne,' _I reply.

"_Do not worry. If Freya has said that you have a purpose here, then it is so. I am sure that you will find it, in time."_

'_Nothing I can do about it, at any rate. Except wait, of course.'_

My mind shifts its full attention back to reality as I approach the Trabian square, heading over towards one of the shops. I'd started to think about purchasing a new weapon a while ago, but never got around to it. After seeing all the shops here at Trabia, I started thinking about it again. No better time to look than the present, in any case. It takes me a minute of searching to find the shop that I'm looking for, but I soon see the one that I'm after, walking up and stepping inside silently.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Location Unknown | 1:47 PM]

* * *

No noise was heard, nothing except the footsteps of a single figure as they walked quickly through one of the many Estharian mansions in the city. The 'click-clack' of the figure's shoes echoed throughout the large structure, reverberating off the many doors and walls of the hallway. Turning a corner, the figure stepped up to a large, oaken door, opening it silently and stepping inside before shutting it with a faint 'click.'

"You wanted to see me?" the figure asked, a woman's voice sounding clearly through the brightly-lit room. A chair behind the only desk in the room, a large chair with brown leather covering that matches the general decor of the room, twitched slightly, the seated figure behind the desk giving only the slightest movement to acknowledge the woman's presence.

"Yes. I have a job for you," a voice, obviously male, replied from the chair, his calm voice carrying an aura of command with it.

"Oh? So soon after the last?" the woman questioned, curious as to why the time frame may have shifted so.

"This requires a certain...how shall we say, urgency in the execution. After all, I would hate for such a prized artifact to slip through my fingers."

"Such as?"

The man turned slightly in the chair, reaching behind him without looking and taking a picture from the desk, before turning it and placing it back on the desk. The woman approached slowly, bending slightly to take a better look at the picture, before giving a small gasp.

"Is this...?"

"Yes. It is one of the stones," the man replied, the chair moving ever so slightly once more.

"Rumor has it that one of the stones is here in Esthar right now," the woman said, eyes still fixated on the picture.

"Yes, well...one of your colleagues is investigating that rumor as we speak."

Standing tall once again, the woman clasped her hands behind her, turning away from the chair and desk.

"Where is the stone located?"

"About eight miles outside of Trabia Garden. I'll provide you with detailed directions shortly," the man replied, folding his hands on his lap. "Such a pity...the DeValles are lying on top of a wonderful treasure...and they aren't even aware of it. I, on the other hand..."

"When do I leave?" the woman asked, her tone clearly showing that she was all-business.

"You'll leave as soon as I give you the directions," the man told her, standing up and looking out the window directly behind the desk. "Be ready to leave in ten." Without a word, the woman nodded, turning on a heel and walking out of the room, letting the oaken door swing shut behind her. The man simply continued to stare out of the window as his associate left, watching the clouds float through the sky silently.

"Soon...very soon indeed..."

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Location Unknown]

* * *

The Ethereal Plane.

Realm of the gods, haven of the higher powers. The home of those charged with shaping, and even the very creation of, reality. It is here that everyone has a purpose, be it to create, to foresee...or simply to observe.

A lone figure sat in front of what appeared to be a small, blue portal, focused intently and watching as images flashed by one after the other within the ovular vortex. The portal shimmered with its own, faint glow, casting the magical light over the small area. The surrounding area itself was pristine, resembling part of a courtyard. A small stream flowed gently along the ground, ending in a small spring, and small bushes dotted the area, neatly trimmed. The figure knelt closer to the portal as the images continued to scroll, trying and failing to make sense of what the images might have meant, before sighing.

"Perhaps Freya was right when she said that humans aren't meant to be understood," the figure, a young woman with long white hair, said softly, her green eyes never leaving the portal. Her attire almost seemed unfitting for a goddess, consisting of no more than a simple tan robe and small sandals. "I can't even begin to imagine how long I've watched their actions, and they still confuse me..."

A small frown suddenly crossed her face, however, as another image entered the portal. Once again focused on the object of her viewing, she leaned closer to get a better look.

"What's this..."

The image was of a small, green stone, glowing brightly from its position on a desk. The stone lit up the surrounding area with its glow, giving the otherwise dark room a light-green hue. The young woman all at once stifled a gasp of surprise, seeming to recognize the apparently inconspicuous gemstone. Standing up quickly, she dispelled the magical portal with a wave of her hand, momentarily at a loss for words.

"It can't be...after all these years, could it really be one of them?" she said out loud, a look of worry crossing her face as white light slowly gathered around her. "I must tell the Mistress at once..." Folding her hands, the girl closed her eyes before vanishing in a small flash of light, headed to the central location for affairs within the Ethereal Plane itself.

* * *

[Ethereal Realm, Palace of Creation]

* * *

_(Play: Valhalla - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)  
_

The Ethereal Realm has many great castles and structures, dedicated to events of the past, champions of the present, and visions of the future. None were as magnificent as the castle that the young woman stood in front of now, though, being the place in which the Creator herself resides. The castle itself was magnificent, resembling an ancient cathedral of sorts, with the exterior created out of the finest stone. The stone was a deep shade of black, giving the castle an outstanding appearance among the rest of the area. Many other gods and goddesses moved about the outside courtyard of the structure, tending to their duties, and the young goddess moved quickly but carefully around them, pushing open the doors to the castle and stepping inside.

The interior, she knew, was just as beautiful as the exterior, with pillars of marble holding up the ceiling of the enormous structure. The walls and ceiling were lined with beautiful murals and words written in a language beyond comprehension that detailed events long past, even as far back as the beginning of time itself. The walls almost seemed to shimmer, the ancient decorations shining as brightly as when they were first inscribed. The woman took no time to admire the area, however, instead moving quickly and silently through the halls as if she were no more than a ghost. Her sandals made small tapping sounds on the stone floor as she moved towards her destination, deep within the castle.

After a long period of moving quickly down the ancient halls, the woman finally came to a stop in front of an enormous door, a brilliant white in color that contrasted sharply with the dim tones of the rest of the castle. Two guards stood solemnly in front of the door, one to either side, each clad in shining golden armor and wielding large and beautiful, yet deadly, spears. The woman stepped close to the door, unaffected by the presence of the royal guards, before kneeling down on one knee.

_(End: Valhalla - Motoi Sakuraba, Valkyrie Profile)_

"I come to you, wise and beautiful Mistress, with news of great urgency. Please, allow me access into your sacred chamber."

The doors seemed to respond to her request, slowly swinging inward to grant access into the room beyond. Hurriedly, she made her way into the room, the great doors sealing themselves once again as she entered.

The inside of the room that the woman walked into was nothing short of breathtaking. Lavish paintings, sculptures, and designs much like the ones in the rest of the palace adorned the entirety of the room, and an exquisitely designed throne of shining silver sits at the back of the room. Perched upon the throne was a beautiful maiden, slender and delicate in appearance, but seeming to exude an aura of command and wisdom. Her long, blond hair flowed softly over sparkling green robes as she smiled sweetly at the woman, blue eyes fixed intently on the standing figure.

She was Freya, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane, and the supreme authority over all beings in the Ethereal Plane itself. The woman quickly bowed to the plane's overseer, kneeling in front of the throne in respect.

"Lady Kisara, Ethereal Mage, warrior of Xeios, you may rise," the woman on the throne commanded, watching as the woman stood quickly. "What news do you bring to me?"

"Forgive me, Mistress Freya, but it is a matter which I felt urgent. The first of the Holy Stones, Aries, has been discovered," Kisara explained. Freya seemed untroubled by the news, remembering numerous times in the past in which similar events had happened without incident.

"Mortals have been passing the Holy Stones down unknowingly for centuries now. What is so troubling about this news?"

"Because, Mistress...it has been unlocked as we

A small frown graced Freya's face as Kisara spoke the last words, the news obviously at least somewhat troubling to the Creator.

"Unlocked, you say? The demon inside has been released?"

"Yes, Mistress. The demon known as Velius has emerged and made a pact of power with a mortal."

"This is troubling news, indeed," Freya remarked, one hand going to her chin as she looked downward, deep in thought. The Holy Stones contained great power, though mortals had long since forgotten how to unlock the true power contained within the artifacts, a fact that had kept Freya from bothering to take action to remove them from the mortal plane in the past.

"What should we do, Mistress Freya?" Kisara asked, looking intently at the Creator.

"We will not interfere with the mortals' actions at this time."

Kisara's face turned to one of shock at Freya's response. Surely she could see the risk inherent with such a decision, could she not? "But, Mistress-"

"The Holy Stones are a problem, I agree, but it is a problem that can afford to wait," Freya replied, cutting Kisara off before she could object. "You are well aware that even now, we have our own troubles to contend with. We are not to interfere with the affairs of the mortal realm until it becomes necessary. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," Kisara said slowly, a small sigh leaving her lips as she reluctantly gave up the argument. The young goddess bowed once again as light gathered around her, before she vanished, returning to her own private haven in the Ethereal Plane.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 1:50 PM]

* * *

"There's a transmission for you from Esthar, sir," a female voice spoke through the communications line, causing the figure sitting behind the desk to nod, pressing a button on the console in front of him.

"Patch it through," the headmaster of Trabia Garden, Darius Elric DeValle, Sr. replied, turning his attention to the small computer screen in front of him. A moment later, the screen changed from a blank screen to showing the face of a young man, probably in his early twenties, dressed in the standard uniform of an Estharian soldier.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," the man greeted, keeping his mannerism professional as he addressed Trabia's headmaster.

"Good afternoon," he replied calmly. "You needed to speak to me?"

"Yes, sir. We've got...an issue of sorts. Approximately seven minutes ago, our para-magical energy detectors began picking up a strange reading somewhere outside of Trabia. I'm feeding you the coordinates to your console now. We're not sure exactly what the disturbance might be, but-"

"You want us to look into it," the headmaster interrupted, causing the man to nod.

"Our department wanted to dispatch a party to investigate, but the President refused. He said that we should contact you, since it's in your region."

"I see. I'll have it looked into immediately," Darius Sr. replied, nodding.

"Thank you, sir," the man said, ending the transmission with no further ado. Calmly, Darius Sr. pressed a button on the console on his desk, the image of Katanas DeValle appearing on the screen after several moments.

"Yes, Father?" the eldest DeValle son asked, watching as his father leaned back in his chair.

"I need you to investigate a disturbance outside of Trabia," Darius Sr. replied, typing something into the computer in front of him. "You should have the coordinates momentarily. Estharian technicians just picked it up and contacted me with the request to look into it. I want you to go check it out and report back to me."

"Understood," Katanas replied, the screen flickering back to black as the transmission ended.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Darius DeValle's Shop | 1:51 PM]

* * *

"Well, well, well. What could you possibly be doing here?" Darius says as I enter, a sarcastic undertone to his voice.

"Take a guess," I retort, looking around. "I'm not picking flowers." Revolver's shop specialized in melee weapons of all kinds, it seems. Darius' shop specializes in one thing.

Guns. And lots of them.

Displayed in cases along the shop's interior and mounted on the walls are guns of every sort. Rifles, shotguns, pistols, and others that I honestly can't say I recognize right away.

"Looking for a new weapon, huh? Well, I'd say you've come to the right place. Then again, knowing you, I'd be surprised if you could shoot straight," Darius comments, looking me over. "You don't even look like the type to use a gun."

"Looks can be deceiving, you know. I'm not too sure that my enemies would expect me to pull out a rifle and start shooting, what with the amount of knives and swords I have on me," I reply, smirking slightly.

"Sadly, you just might have a point," Darius says, shaking his head.

"Anyway. What kind of rifles do you have?" I ask, looking over some of the ones on the wall.

"Anything you're looking for, really. I've got everything from simple bolt-action rifles, to pulse rifles custom-made in Esthar."

I wasn't really expecting to hear the words 'pulse rifle.' Granted, a pulse rifle may be a nice investment, but personally, I don't think I need that kind of firepower.

"What about that one?" I ask, pointing to one of the rifles mounted on the wall, a small rifle with a design much like a classic .22 caliber rifle. Carefully, Darius walks over and takes it off the mount, holding it up for me to see.

"The CL-A4. Nice rifle, all in all. One big drawback for in-battle use, though, and that's the fact that you only have one shot. After that, you've got to reload. It's accurate, though, probably one of the most accurate single-shot rifles that I have."

"Well...I want something that I could use well in a tough fight, if I had to. I'd hate to have to reload after every shot in the middle of a fight with a T-Rexaur, or something."

Darius takes a moment to consider my words, before placing the CL-A4 back on its wall mount, then stepping over and taking another rifle off of its mount, holding this one up for me to see as well.

"The BXR-03. Third in a series made by Esthar. This rifle is made for versatility, and holds 12 shots in the magazine. It isn't as accurate as the CL-A4, for instance, but it shoots practically any kind of ammo you want, from standard .308 caliber ammunition all the way up to Pulse Ammunition. Of course, I don't have any of that in stock. Garden policy, you see."

The rifle itself is bigger than the CL-A4, a smooth, streamlined rifle with a silver finish. Carefully, I take the rifle from Darius for a moment to examine the weight, finding that the rifle is somewhat heavy, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to use it well with practice.

"How much for it?" I ask, and Darius smirks.

"Think you can afford it?" he says, and I shrug.

"Not until you tell me the price, of course."

"Two hundred and seventy thousand Gil."

I whistle softly, amazed somewhat by the price. Making a general assumption that the rate of conversion from Gaian currency to Earth currency is one hundred Gil to one dollar, that's two thousand and seven hundred dollars. It's also practically every bit of the Gil that I have on me at the moment.

"Why so much?"

"This rifle was made by master gunsmiths in Esthar. That alone should explain enough. But, this is one of the highest-performance rifles that exist right now, as far as solid ammunition rifles go. I can only think of four that perform better. And if you think that's expensive, I doubt you want to know how much the pulse rifles sell for."

"You know? I think you're right," I reply. Sighing, I take out my wallet, removing the money inside and counting out five fifty-thousand Gil notes, as well as two ten-thousand Gil notes. It only leaves me with around twenty thousand Gil, but I believe it will be worth it. Taking the money, Darius places it into his pocket before walking behind the counter, reaching down and pulling out a strap. Quickly, he attaches each end to special places on the rifle, before handing it over to me.

"What kind of ammunition do you have, while I'm at it?" I ask.

"Almost everything, really. I've got the standard ammunition for every gun here, special spread rounds for shotgun-like fire, darkness enchanted rounds for blinding enemies, elementally-imbued rounds, dense ammunition for inflicting maximum damage, and ammunition made specially for optimizing semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire. I'd have more, but I'm not allowed to sell the rest."

"Let's see...I know there's also armor-piercing ammunition, and Pulse Ammunition, like you mentioned before?"

"You're not completely oblivious, then. Like I said, I can't sell those under Garden's rules. Too dangerous."

"Then just give me three boxes of the regular ammunition, then," I say, causing Darius to turn to a set of shelves behind him. Scrolling down the contents quickly with his eyes, he selects three boxes from one of the middle shelves, handing them over to me.

"That'll be another fifteen hundred Gil."

Putting my money back into my wallet, I take out a single two-thousand Gil bill, handing it over to Darius, who gives me a five-hundred Gil note back. Placing the bill into my wallet, I put it away, before setting the rifle down beside me. Darius just watches as I spherechange to my Gunner dressphere, putting some of the ammo into a small pouch on the belt encircling my waist and then shouldering the rifle. Quickly, I spherechange back to my special dressphere, the rifle vanishing along with the rest of my Gunner dressphere.

"Guess that's it," I say, turning back to Darius. "Thanks. I've got to say, you really seem to know your stuff."

"Well, I wouldn't have my own shop if I didn't, you know," Darius retorts, with no small amount of pride in his voice.

"Guess not," I say, heading for the door. "Later." Without waiting for a response, I step out of the shop, headed back out of Trabia Garden to train once again.

* * *

Hopefully, this chapter is as good as I believed it to be while writing it, as this will begin to set up the basis for the upcoming part of the story. You'll begin to see a lot more point of view changes, as well, as I begin to show what's happening in other parts of the world. As always, please read and review!


	15. I, II, I: Between Heaven And Earth

This chapter marks the second part of the first book. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story  
_

_Chapter I: Between Heaven And Earth_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia, Bika Snowfield | 4:16 PM]

* * *

The Glacial Eye in front of me gives a screech of some sort, before crumpling to the ground, multiple bullet wounds in the creature's body. Lowering the rifle from my shoulder, I sling it onto my back once again, spherechanging from my Gunner dressphere back to my Blade Knight dressphere. For about the past half hour, I've been testing out the rifle I just bought from Darius. I've come to the conclusion that it was well worth the money. Darius was right in one respect, though; without the Gunner dressphere, I can't aim straight at all. I may know some things about guns, but I certainly can't use them all that well.

I've also been able to practice summoning Shiva in battle, taking on Mesmerizes to practice. Ice-based attacks don't work very well on things like Glacial Eyes, after all. As I prepare to take on another Gayla a short distance away, I suddenly remember something. I was supposed to meet the others back at the Celsius when I was done exploring. Berating myself mentally, I turn to leave, before spotting another figure stepping towards me on the snowy fields. As the figure gets closer, I recognize it as Revolver, the blacksmith I saw earlier.

"Hey there," I call over, causing Revolver to look over at me. "What are you doing out here?"

"If you must know," he replies gruffly, "I'm about to go gather some materials for my shop." Revolver's eyes dart around, looking at the small patches of burned ground and melted snow, among other things. "I assume you were training out here?"

"Yeah," I reply. Revolver just gives a short scoff at that.

"You can't honestly consider what you're doing training," he says, shaking his head. "The enemies here aren't worthy enough."

"And I suppose you've got a better idea, other than flying halfway around the world to find tougher enemies?" I counter.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Revolver replies, his face impassive. "A one-on-one duel between the two of us. That is, of course, unless you're afraid."

"Afraid? You've gotta be kidding me," I retort, unsheathing one of the swords from my back. "I'll be glad to take you on."

"At least you aren't a coward. Whether you can fight or not remains to be seen," Revolver comments, slowly unsheathing a powerful-looking great sword, the silver blade forged into the shape of a rhombus. "The first move is yours. Choose carefully."

Silently, I nod, taking a measured step forward and moving into a balanced stance with my blade in front of me.

* * *

[Ethereal Realm, Kisara's Domain]

* * *

_(Play: Wind Crest -The Three Trails- (Kisara's Theme) - Final Fantasy X-2 International/Last Mission)_

Kisara sat in front of a magical portal she had conjured with her power, watching carefully as more events and pictures flashed by in the white light of the gate. The goddess had been worrying ever since her meeting with Freya, fears about the Holy Stones and their use...or misuse. It was known to Kisara that the Stones were created by several of the major gods in the Ethereal Realm and passed down to the mortal realm, given to whom each of the gods considered their 'champion.' Each Stone held immense power within it, as well as great amounts of knowledge. The Holy Stones were designed to not only contain power, but to absorb, so to speak, bits and pieces of knowledge from those that held them. Since the Stones had been around for centuries upon centuries, the knowledge and power contained in each one was vast.

There was a downside to such power, however. The true power of the Holy Stones could not be tapped immediately. Only with an ancient chant could the full power of the Stones be released and harnessed, and few on the mortal realm knew this verse. However, as the years went by, not only did the Stones absorb the knowledge that was worthy and good to human minds, they absorbed parts of the darker thoughts and feelings of humanity as well. As time went on, the feelings grew and melded together, bonding with the latent spiritual energy of the world. It was this bonding that gave rise to the Lucavi Demons, as humans called them. Powerful creatures that lurked within the Stones, only by making a pact with these demons could the true power of the Holy Stones be used.

Kisara realized this. It was a simple enough matter to figure out that the Stones were a great deal more powerful than they were when they were first created. The real problem lay with another matter; namely, what to do with them. The Lucavi Demons were unpredictable, and in the wrong hands, could corrupt the mind and body as simply as snuffing out a candle.

'_Mistress Freya said that we shouldn't worry about the Stones...but I can't help but feel that we have to act quickly. If one of the Stones has been unlocked, then all twelve could be unlocked. If one person manages to unlock all twelve Stones...I shudder to think what could become of the mortal realm, maybe even the Ethereal Realm.'_

This was the issue that Kisara had been struggling with. If Freya would not act, then she saw no other way to prevent the misuse of the Stones than for her to act on her own. But, if she did that, she was taking a major risk. Risking not only the loss of her power, but her very position as a goddess, was not something that Kisara took lightly. Still, the goddess wondered: if she didn't act, who would? Would anyone act before it was too late?

Turning back to her portal, Kisara watched in horror as the scene she had been dreading to see began to play before her eyes. The goddess watched in silence as a figure made their way inside a cave, one very familiar to the Ethereal Mage.

"The Taurus Holy Stone..." she murmured, frozen as she continued to observe. In that moment, Kisara's decision was made - she would have time to contemplate the consequences of her actions later, but the moment demanded immediate action.

"Mistress, forgive me, but I must do this, both for the sake of the mortal realm and our own," she whispered, before vanishing in a small flash of light as she descended to the mortal plane.

_(End: Wind Crest -The Three Trails- (Kisara's Theme) - Final Fantasy X-2 International/Last Mission)__

* * *

_

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia, Sorbald Snowfield | 4:23 PM]

* * *

The wind blew fiercely against the mountains overlooking the Sorbald Snowfield, uncaring as a lone figure searched the side of the rocky cliffs. They had been searching nearly a half hour now, the rocks and crevices all looking the same in the snowy, windy conditions.

"I should almost be on top of the entrance to the cave," the woman said to herself, her white outfit blending in well with the snowy plains and cliffs. A smirk of triumph crossed her face suddenly as she came to an indent in the cliff face, which revealed itself to instead be a tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. The woman quickly walked inside, both to continue her mission and to escape the biting winds that howled across the snow-covered plains.

"If these directions are correct, the Stone should be near the back of the cave," she muttered, putting a small piece of paper back into one of the pockets of her jacket and continuing to walk. The cave appeared to be abandoned, she noticed, nothing residing in the rocky cavern but several small animals that also had decided to escape the cold, which quickly scattered as the woman continued to delve deeper into the cave. Arriving at a fork in the cave, one path leading straight ahead, the other to the right, the woman calmly headed down the right passage, smiling as the somewhat small tunnel began to widen outward as she traveled.

Minutes later, the woman's eyes lit up in success as the tunnel opened into a large chamber, fallen rocks and stalagmites dotting the sides of the room. Near the back of the room, a glint caught both her eye and her attention, and she stepped over quickly towards the source, kneeling down and brushing snow from a small - yet familiar - object.

"Ah...beautiful," she whispered, picking the object up carefully in order to see it more clearly. "The Taurus Holy Stone...such an innocuous artifact, with such raw and unbridled power. Zeo will be happy to see this."

"Return the Stone."

Turning sharply at the sound of another voice within the cavern, the woman rose from her kneeling position only to come face to face with the calm face of Kisara.

"And just who might you be?" the woman asked cautiously, cradling the Stone with one hand and placing the other on her hip.

"That is none of your concern. Replace the Holy Stone, now. I will not repeat myself," Kisara said, her voice as cold as the ice surrounding them.

"I assume you plan to make me, then?" the woman retorted.

"If I must."

"You can try, of course," the woman sneered, gesturing towards Kisara with her free hand. A wall of water seemed to spring up from the very ground itself at the motion, towering over Kisara and threatening to crush her. Unfazed, Kisara simply raised a hand up to the wave, instantly freezing the water in place before letting it sink to the ground, splashing harmlessly over both females' feet.

"You were forewarned," Kisara said, before holding her right hand up. Slowly, light seemed to move towards and into her hand, coalescing into a solid ball of light that glowed intensely and lit up the entire cavern. With a thrust of her hand, Kisara sent the ball at the woman, who had almost no time to react to the lightning-fast attack. The ball impacted her chest fiercely, exploding in a burst of light and sending the woman back into the wall of the cave with a cry, rocks and dust crumbling around her impact point. The Stone, too, was ripped from her hands as she flew, landing on the ground between the two. Kisara made no move to continue her attack, however, instead watching as the woman slowly moved back to her feet, stumbling slightly from the aftermath of the bone-jarring impact.

"You...what are you...?" the woman managed to gasp out, holding one hand over her chest and slightly burned clothing.

"An emissary for a higher power," Kisara replied calmly. "Leave, now. You do not understand the forces that you are dealing with here."

The woman seemed to ponder this statement for a moment, before watery energy began to surround her, swirling around her and shielding her form from view before the bubble of water burst, the woman nowhere to be found following the release of the spell. Sighing, Kisara walked over to the fallen Holy Stone, picking it up and examining it carefully before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good...I was in time to prevent this Stone from being unlocked," she said to herself, pleased that she had stopped another of the Holy Stones from revealing its true power. A noise behind her caught her attention before she could do anything else, however, and she turned to face whatever might be there. What she saw, however, was the figure of Katanas DeValle standing in the entrance to the chamber, his face holding a small smile as he noticed Kisara's presence.

"Katanas...it's been a while," Kisara greeted, stepping over to the Trabian Garden Commander. Katanas just nodded in reply, bowing to the Ethereal Magus.

"It certainly has," he replied. "I sensed a power in this region...a great power, coming from somewhere close to this location. Now I arrive, and find you here. Hardly a coincidence, wouldn't you agree?" Katanas continued, the smile on his face never leaving.

Kisara stayed silent for a moment, seeming to have a debate in her own mind, before a sigh escaped her lips.

"Katanas...if I tell you what is happening here, do you swear to keep it a secret from anyone who may ask?" Kisara said solemnly, looking Katanas in the eyes.

"Of course," he answered, the look on his face turning to one of mild concern.

"Thank you. I'll get straight to the point. You are well aware of the existence of the twelve Holy Stones of the Zodiac, correct?" Katanas simply nodded in affirmation of the statement, Kisara continuing a moment later. "Well...one of them has been unlocked to its full potential - the Aries Holy Stone."

"I assume, then, that the power I felt was another of the Stones?" Katanas inquired. Kisara simply held out her left hand to Katanas, revealing the glowing form of the Taurus Holy Stone.

"Yes. Someone was attempting to steal it when I arrived, but I managed to reclaim it. If someone is attempting to gather all twelve of the Stones..." Kisara trailed off at that, but Katanas nodded in understanding.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance, then?" Katanas offered.

"How?"

"I can help you find and track the Holy Stones and make sure that no harm comes to them," Katanas said. "However...I would like a favor from you in return."

"That would be...?"

"I want to know what is happening in the Ethereal Realm. I assume that things have been...less than peaceful as of late?" Katanas continued.

"...You would be correct," Kisara said after a short pause. "Some of the elder gods are fighting amongst themselves for power...even the three pillars of reality seem to be affected."

"I see...as I said before, I will help you protect the Holy Stones. However, I must return to Trabia now. Perhaps you could accompany me to my office? We could talk in private there," Katanas said, looking over at Kisara.

"I would like that," Kisara replied, nodding to Katanas. Silently, Kisara stepped over to the Garden Commander as Katanas began to channel his energies, the two of them disappearing in a flash of light moments later.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia, Bika Snowfield | 4:27 PM]

* * *

_(Play: The Incarnation of Devil (Revolver's Battle Theme) - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time)_

Kneeling down to the ground, I try to catch my breath after the last attack by Revolver. So far, I've barely been able to lay a hit on the swordsman. He moves too quick for my eyes to follow, even without Haste, and I've been hit with at least a half dozen status spells since the fight began.

"Dark Weaver!"

Black tendrils suddenly lance out from Revolver's sword, wrapping around me and crushing me, before throwing me along the snow-covered ground. Fighting back a cry of pain, I struggle back to my feet, launching a quick barrage of Fire spells at Revolver in order to buy some time. Revolver just moves around the spells, watching as they burn small marks into the snow, before he smirks, holding a hand out towards me.

"Shadow Spell!"

A small portal of black energy seems to open up in front of him, before several pitch-black chains fly out, moving towards me of their own accord. Eyes widening, I flip backward to avoid one chain and duck under another, only to be thrown off balance by the first and caught. The second wraps around me as well, pinning both my arms and legs, before dark energy surges into me, causing me to scream out in pain as my skin burns.

The chains fall to the ground, dissipating into black smoke as I stumble slightly, noticing with a great deal of displeasure that some magical force is preventing me from accessing any of my Blade Knight abilities as well. Determined not to give in, I cast Haste on myself, running towards Revolver as my sword glows with orange energy.

"Power Break!"

Slashing down, my sword meets only the ground, as Revolver spins aside and kicks me away, throwing me off-balance as he prepares another attack. Quickly, Revolver casts what appears to be an Aura spell on himself, causing his body to glow with a yellow light. A blue aura then flares around him, as the snow around him begins to melt under the force of the power.

"Ether Strike!"

The energy surrounding Revolver suddenly expands, forming into a large sphere of blue energy that surrounds his body. In the blink of an eye, the energy shoots towards the sky, falling down as a storm of blue energy orbs. Futilely placing my sword in front of me, I try to defend against the hail of energy balls, but end up crying out in agony as the orbs engulf me in a wave of blue energy. The attack stops after several seconds that feel like hours to me, and as I fall to the ground, completely exhausted and broken, the last thing that I see is Revolver re-sheathing his sword as everything fades to blackness.

_(End: The Incarnation of Devil (Revolver's Battle Theme) - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time)__

* * *

_

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 4:31 PM]

* * *

"Please, sit," Katanas offered, taking a seat behind his desk as Kisara took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Now...perhaps you could explain what is happening in the Ethereal Plane? I assume that things are not as they should be?"

"You would be correct," Kisara replied. "Some of the elder gods are fighting for more power in the realm. Even Odin has been affected. Right now, Odin has been charged by Freya to try and keep peace in the realm, but this conflict seems to be too far-reaching for even Odin to do alone."

"I see...what of Freya? Has this conflict reached her?"

"Not as of yet. As power-hungry as some of the gods appear to be, none of them have made a move on Freya's throne yet. I can only hope that it continues to stay that way."

"I would not be too worried. Freya has more power than any other being in the Ethereal Plane. If any of the gods _did _make a move to try and usurp Freya's position, she should be able to quell the uprising with relative ease."

"That is how I see the matter as well. But...other strange things have occurred lately. Will, the pillar of the future, has been making trips to and from the mortal realm. I can only speculate on what he is doing, however," Kisara explained, causing Katanas to quirk an eyebrow.

"The pillars of reality rarely leave the Ethereal Plane. Why, now, would Will decide to descend to the mortal realm?"

"As I said, I can only speculate. Fayt and Destine have not left that I am aware of, but you realize that my ability to track their movements is...limited, at best. I do not have the position in the realm to even think of questioning their decisions."

"I understand. You have told me more than I expected to hear as it stands. For that, I thank you."

"I will keep track of these matters as best I can...however, I can not return to the Ethereal Plane at this moment."

"Oh?" Katanas said, watching as the Ethereal Magus bowed her head. "And why would you not be able to return?"

"The fact is not that I am unable to return in the literal sense, but more in the sense of my actions. This matter with the Holy Stones has worried me as of late. I spoke with the Mistress, and she instructed me to forget about the situation for the moment. I...I could not. I came here of my own accord, disobeying the Mistress at my own risk. I can not go back at this time. I must ensure that the Holy Stones remain safe, no matter the price I must pay to do so," Kisara said sadly, lifting her head to make eye contact with Katanas once again.

"Though the decision to disobey Freya might not be the best, I admire your reason for doing so. It is commendable that you would risk your position to ensure the safety of the mortal realm."

"It isn't just for the mortal realm. If all twelve Stones are unlocked and controlled by one being, it could very well spell the end of not only the mortal realm, but possibly all of reality as well," Kisara said, a degree of fear in her voice.

"Then we must waste no time in securing the Stones," Katanas stated, nodding. "I will do what I can."

"I thank you for your help, Katanas," Kisara replied, standing from her chair. "I must take my leave now. Take care."

"Take care of yourself as well, Kisara," Katanas said, watching as the Ethereal Magus vanished in a flash of light. Turning his attention back to his desk, Katanas quickly opened a channel on the computer in his desk, watching as the face of his father appeared on the screen.

"Yes?" the Trabian headmaster asked, wondering what the seemingly-urgent call was about.

"I investigated the energy reading outside of Trabia as you requested, father," Katanas said.

"Your findings?"

"It appears to have been caused by an overload of a deposit of Energy Crystals. Apparently, a group of hikers were in one of the mountain caverns, and accidentally struck a small deposit of the Crystals with a spell while fighting off a monster inside the cave. The resulting energy release was large enough to register on Estharian scanners."

"I see...good work. I'll notify the Estharian Presidential Palace immediately with the findings," the Senior replied, the comlink turning itself off as soon as he finished speaking. Katanas just sighed, pulling up a document on his computer and began to resume his work - he hated lying to his father about matters, but he knew that it would be for the best in the long run.

* * *

Well. I had several things that compounded my writing problems this time. Attempting to place a college application so that I can begin work on a bachelor's degree in technology, a small amount of writer's block, and just generally not being around as much as I like lead to this delay. Hopefully, though, things will settle back down enough for me to get back into a consistent writing pattern. As always, please read and review.


	16. I, II, II: Out Of Phase

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. Attempts to sue will be fed to Bahamut.

Yeah, I'm back. It's been quite a while, but I've not given up on this story yet. I've had a lot of issues to deal with, including accusations of plagiarism, transferring to a different college, and final exams, not to mention other personal issues. But, now, everything is resolved, and I can begin uploading again.

So, as a result of this, I haven't just uploaded one chapter, I've uploaded three for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story _

_Chapter II: Out Of Phase_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Infirmary | 4:36 PM]

* * *

My vision is assaulted by bright lights as my eyes slowly open, leaving me staring up at two white lights on the ceiling above me. Footsteps cause me to turn my head, and I look sideways at the person approaching me, a young nurse wearing the typical white coat and hat of most medical professionals.

"How do you feel?" she asks, and I blink again, eyes adjusting to the light, before answering.

"...Like I was hit by a car," I reply bluntly.

"It's good to see you awake. You took quite a beating from Revolver," the nurse replies, and I just nod, gritting my teeth and sitting upright on the bed. As I do, I notice that my right forearm, part of my chest, and right leg from the knee down are wrapped in bandages. Apparently, I took more of a beating from his Limit attack than I thought. Silently, I reach down, beginning to unravel the bandages from around my legs. As I do, I notice that they're still red, probably from being burned by the Ether Strike. The nurse frowns as I remove the bandages, but makes no attempt to stop me.

"You should leave them on, you know."

"I know. But they'll drive me crazy if I do."

The nurse just sighs, shaking her head.

"I may have been able to heal you, but you're still going to be sore for a while. Take it easy until you're sure you're fully healed, okay?"

Starting to unravel the bandages from around my chest, I nod.

"I doubt I'll be fighting Revolver again anytime soon, anyway." Slowly, I step off of the bed, throwing the bandages into the trash can next to the door and beginning to unravel the ones around my right arm. "Thanks," I say, before stepping out into the hall.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Location Unknown | 4:36 PM]

* * *

"So, you failed to acquire it," the seated figure said, more of a statement than a question.

"...I did," the woman replied, bowing her head. The man simply nodded, spinning in his chair to face her. The man's black hair was neatly cut, one lone piece of hair falling slightly between his eyes. His black suit was immaculate, as well as his matching black shoes. Folding both hands on his desk and looking up at the woman, the man's gaze was solemn, his eyes piercing.

Zeo Conrad was the man's name, the owner and president of Conrad Synthetics and a major leader in the industrial sectors of Esthar, holding immense amounts of business in the region despite several new companies attempting to infringe on the area.

"And why, may I ask, did you fail such a simple mission, Mystique?" Zeo said, his gaze never leaving the woman and nearly causing her to flinch involuntarily.

"There was..._another_ there. Someone, apparently, considerably more powerful than myself. I tried to escape with the Stone, but they were able to keep me from taking it."

"Interesting...and the name of this 'other person'?"

"They didn't give their name."

Zeo Conrad's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then I trust you can find that information out, can't you?"

Mystique stopped herself from taking a step back out of fear, instead simply nodding. "I can, and I will."

"Good. See to it that you don't fail again, please."

Without another word, Mystique turned, stepping out of Zeo Conrad's office and shutting the door behind her. Zeo simply shook his head, returning to his examination of several documents on his desk. Absently, he pressed a button on his desk before speaking into a built-in microphone on the screen beside him.

"I have a job for you..."

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia, Bika Snowfield | 5:04 PM]

* * *

"What a mess..." a young boy absently said, trudging across the snowfield while shielding his eyes from the storm that now whipped around both him and his companion. While Trabia was known to be a docile region, especially during the time of the year that it was now, it still had its faults. Namely, random, violent snowstorms that sometimes blew across the plains, nearly shutting down travel and forcing travelers to seek shelter or face a grim fate in the cold. During the spring months, like now, the early spring winds sometimes prompted large bursts of snow and ice to gather into a rolling storm, similar to a sandstorm.

Such was the predicament that the two travelers were now caught in.

The boy, to his credit, just continued to struggle across the plains, one hand shielding his face and the other gripped tightly around the wrist of the other figure, a young girl.

'_We should be getting close to Trabia Garden by now...'_

_

* * *

_

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Bridge | 5:05 PM]

* * *

"Any sign of him?" Rikku asked, looking over at Yuna.

"Nothing," Yuna replied, shaking her head. "He's either still in Trabia Garden, or..." Yuna cut herself off, not wanting to finish her sentence.

"He can handle himself," Paine cut in, looking between Rikku and Yuna. "I'd think both of you should know that by now."

Before either Yuna or Rikku could get in a word to counter, Buddy turned from his position at the front of the bridge, facing Yuna.

"I think I see someone out there..."

Immediately, Yuna ran to the front of the ship, looking out the window. The storm was making it hard to see, but Yuna could vaguely spot a glimpse of black moving through the white haze.

"They must be crazy to be out in this!" Brother chimed in, also looking out of the window.

"Whoever it is, I'm going to get them," Yuna said, heading towards the bridge door. "Like you said, it's crazy for them to be out in this."

"Hey, wait up!" Rikku shouted, following Yuna out of the bridge and towards the exit to the Celsius.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia, Bika Snowfield | 5:06 PM]

* * *

"How much farther?" the girl asked her companion, teeth chattering as she brushed snow away from her face.

"We should be there any minute now," the boy replied, also shivering from the wind and snow but keeping a positive outlook for the sake of the girl.

'_At least, I hope so.'_

"Hey! Over here!"

A voice snapped him out of his single-minded thoughts, and he turned to see something large and red just ahead of him through the snow. Two people were standing outside, he noticed, apparently the ones yelling at him to get inside.

"The Ragnarok...?" he muttered, looking up at the object in disbelief. Shaking his head, he turned to the girl. "Let's get over there."

"Are you crazy?" the girl asked, eyes widening in surprise. "We don't even know who these people are!"

"Any port in a storm," the boy replied, beginning to make his way towards the people. The girl simply followed, squinting up at the object in front of them and trying to make out the details

"Think they heard us?" Rikku asked Yuna, watching as the traveling pair stopped momentarily, apparently talking to each other.

"They should have," Yuna said. As if to confirm her words, the pair turned slightly, now beginning to head straight for them. Yuna sighed in slight relief, glad that they'd been heard over the storm, but Rikku just shivered, looking first at the pair and then back at Yuna.

"I wish they'd hurry up! It's freezing out here!"

A minute later, the pair finally arrived at the Celsius, shivering and partially covered in snow. Wiping the snow from his coat, the boy looked at Yuna and Rikku, muttering thanks as they motioned for him to go inside. Not needing any further prompting to take shelter, he headed inside the ship, leading the girl inside as well as Yuna and Rikku followed, the latter closing the door behind her once they were all inside.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Bridge | 5:07 PM]

* * *

"Are you two okay?" Yuna asked the two, finally able to get a good look at the pair. The boy nodded, brushing snow from his black hair before taking off his white trenchcoat to reveal what looked like a blue uniform of some sort, the shirt having a single orange stripe directly down the center. Now that the trenchcoat was off, Yuna could also see a single katana sheath belted to his left hip, as well as another of the gun-sword hybrid weapons strapped to his back. His black boots still had some snow on them, but he ignored it, instead looking between Yuna and Rikku for a moment.

"Thanks. It's not exactly fun to try and walk around in that."

"And _you _wanted to go to Trabia Garden...I think we're lucky we got out of that," the girl beside him says, also taking off her white coat. The girl was dressed in a blue shirt with a flowing pink collar, as well as a loose fitting pair of white pants. A small belt held two katana sheathes, one on each side, and a relatively small-scale broadsword was also slung across her back. Her small blue shoes, by contrast to the boy's, were nearly white with snow, as was the blue bow in her brown hair.

"Mind telling us your names?" Rikku asked, looking the pair over carefully - she still wasn't sure what kind of people would willingly walk around in a storm like that.

"Sure. I'm Tetsuya Kurabasa, and this is my sister, Yuki," the boy said, motioning to the girl beside him.

"Nice to meet you," Yuki said, bowing politely to their rescuers.

"It's good to meet you, too," Yuna said, feeling momentarily as if she were back in Spira because of the girl's action. "My name's Yuna, and these are my friends, Rikku, Paine, Brother, and Buddy."

"You said something about going to Trabia Garden?" Buddy asked, looking over at Tetsuya.

"Yes. You know where it is?"

"We're only a few hundred feet from it right now, as a matter of fact. You just can't see it for the storm," Buddy explained, eliciting a groan from the older male.

"I told you we were getting close!" he protested, causing Yuki to roll her eyes in response.

"You did not."

"Can we save the arguing for later?" Paine interjected. "This storm shouldn't last much longer, from what Buddy's seen about the weather patterns. You can head to Trabia when it clears up."

"Sounds good to me," Tetsuya said, shrugging and causing more bits of snow to fall from his clothing. "We can take a break, if nothing else."

"Come on. I'll show you around the ship," Yuna said cheerily, beginning to walk out of the bridge. Both siblings looked at each other for a second or two before following, deciding to take a look around in case the storm didn't let up for some time.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Balamb, Rinaul Coast | 5:07 PM]

* * *

Kisara stood on the beach at Balamb silently, watching the waves roll across the ocean as she tried to decide what her next move would be. She had already secured one of the Holy Stones, but she had no leads on where the others would be, or their conditions. Reaching into a fold of her robe, she pulled out the Taurus Stone, turning it over in her hand and examining it as she let her mind drift.

"Freya scattered these Stones around the world over a hundred years ago, thinking they would never be rejoined...could they really find their way back together...?"

Shaking her head, Kisara sighed. She knew the answer to that question. The Stones were magically linked; the nature of magic of that sort was to stay joined.

"Thinking?"

Turning, Kisara looked at the one who addressed her...then gasped, before bowing suddenly to the person she saw. The man in front of her was, in all honesty, nothing out of the ordinary, appearance-wise. With short, black hair and brown eyes, a blue, button-up shirt with a white shirt below it, black khaki pants, and a pair of white shoes, he looked like just another casually-dressed native of the area. However, Kisara knew differently.

"Will...I had known that you were making visits here to the mortal realm, but I hadn't expected you to find me here."

The person in front of Kisara was none other than Will, Pillar of the Future and one of the three Ethereal entities tasked with maintaining the stability of the plane.

"To be honest...until I heard a curious bit of information, I wasn't planning on finding you," Will replied, turning to look towards the water. "I heard that you are searching for the Holy Stones. Am I correct?"

"That would be correct."

"I also heard that Freya told you specifically not to interfere here. Am I correct?"

Now a bit unnerved at where the Pillar's words were leading the conversation, Kisara nodded.

"...That would also be correct."

"I see." Will folded his arms, turning towards Kisara with a small smile on his face. "Then I suppose I'll simply have to share some information I've recently come across."

"You...you'd risk your position to help me? If Freya found out-"

"I am willing to take that risk. This may be more important than anyone realizes."

"Then, please, proceed," Kisara said, hardly believing the situation she'd now found herself in.

"I have discovered the location of another of the Holy Stones. The Capricorn Holy Stone, to be exact. It lies deep within a part of the old ruins of the Centra civilization," Will explained calmly.

"This Holy Stone was sealed away from humans?" Kisara asked, unsure of why the Holy Stone would be in such a secluded place. Centra had been a great civilization before the time of the Lunar Cry, but she would've thought that such an artifact would've been found long before now.

"None of the Holy Stones were permanently sealed away. Simply put...this Stone seems to have been discarded several years ago, when a traveler who was exploring the ruins was attacked by something within. Even I don't know all of the details, but the Stone has been left in the ruins for several years now."

"Then I must waste no time," Kisara stated, nodding. "You have my thanks, Will."

"You are welcome, Lady Kisara," Will replied. "I must return to the Ethereal Plane now. Take care."

"Take care, Will," Kisara replied, watching as Will's body turns into crackling blue light which ascended into the sky for a short distance before vanishing altogether.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Grandidi Forest | 5:15 PM]

* * *

"We're lost."

"You said that not 3 minutes ago."

"Well, if either of you had bothered to pay attention to how we got into this place, then maybe we wouldn't be lost..."

A chorus of sighs came from two of the three members of the group wandering through the small forest. The first was a teenage girl with long brown hair, dressed in a short black shirt and long black pants, complete with a red jacket as well as red, ankle-length boots. A sword sheath rested on her left side, as well.

The second was an older male with mid-length black hair, dressed in a light blue shirt and pants that were both covered by a long, black robe. His shoes were nothing special, simple black shoes that stopped just above his ankles, while a silver headband with an insignia of some kind circled his forehead.

"Really, Uriko?" the girl asked, turning to the third member of her party, another young girl with long black hair, as well as a short, green shirt and matching skirt. "As I recall, you can't quite keep track of directions yourself. Remember Esthar?"

"Don't say a word, Sumiko," Uriko growled, spinning away from her companion. "That was an honest mistake, and you know it."

"She's just kidding, Uriko. You need to lighten up," the male said, folding his arms. "So what if we're a little lost? We came out here for training. It'll give us time to sharpen our survival skills."

"Some of us don't want to practice 'survival skills,' Naoki," Uriko retorted, rolling her eyes at the boy.

"You really are tense," Sumiko replied, shaking her head. "Come on. Let's stop and have something to eat, hm?"

"Fine by me," Naoki replied, dropping a small pack onto the ground before sitting down. Uriko said nothing, instead simply joining her companion on the ground with Sumiko following a moment later. Carefully, Naoki unwrapped several small pieces of bread and meat from the bag, handing some out to each member before taking a bite from his bread.

"Nice job taking out that T-Rexaur, Naoki," Sumiko complimented, causing the older boy to feign indignance.

"Nice job? That's all you can say? That was a work of art!" he said with a small smile.

"Yeah, it would've been a real work of art to see you inside that thing's stomach. Did you have to torment the thing before you killed it? I think you went a bit overboard by blinding it," Uriko remarked, shaking her head.

"It was going to eat me!"

"That's no excuse. You threw a kunai straight into its pupils!"

"What other choice did I have?"

"Get eaten."

Naoki just buried his face into his hand, small crumbs falling from his mouth. Uriko simply smirked. Sumiko merely sighed.

"Uriko, do you have to pick on Naoki?"

"Well, yeah. He makes it so easy, you know."

"Ha ha. Funny. Eat your bread," Naoki said dryly, but with a look of amusement on his face.

"Oh, I meant to show you something..." Sumiko says, digging through a pouch on her pack for a moment before pulling out a small, exquisitely-cut topaz and holding it up for everyone to see. "I found it while I was picking some berries out here. It was just lying there."

"Something like that looks like it could be worth a whole lot of Gil," Uriko commented, taking the gem from Sumiko and examining it. "Perfectly-cut topaz, not a single mark on it...no flaws at all that I can see."

"Think it belongs to someone in Esthar?" Sumiko asked.

"Probably. I mean, this thing was obviously cut from a larger gem. It can't have occurred this perfectly by natural means," Naoki said.

"Well. I see you went through the trouble of finding the Stone for me. Now, just hand it over, and we'll all leave here peacefully."

All three members of the group stood up quickly, turning to face the direction the voice came from. None of the three saw anything immediately, something which served to put them all further on edge.

"Show yourself," Naoki said simply, hoping to get the figure to speak again in an attempt to discern their location.

"Hm. Very well. It will do you little good," the voice spoke again, a small blue line suddenly appearing in front of the gathered trio. Slowly, the line widened into some sort of doorway before a cloaked figure stepped out, his entire body covered by a thin, dark veil of energy.

"...Who are you?" Naoki asked, watching the figure carefully as he palmed a kunai from his side, Sumiko also drawing a long, thin rapier from her side.

"To tell...or not to tell. I think I'll tell you after I take that Stone off your hands," the figure said, chuckling lightly as he examined the three opposite him.

"Come and get it," Uriko said threateningly, stepping up beside her two companions as fire gathered in her hands.

* * *

A few notes about this chapter.

Zeo Conrad and Mystique are original characters belonging to Iron Reaver, used with permission.

You may recognize Tetsuya and Yuki from one of my earlier (and far worse, in my opinion) works. As it stands, when I began writing this story, I decided to use them again in the hopes that it would turn out better. So, for the purposes of this story, FF8: The Shadow Slayer would be an AU to this story. In this story, those events never happened. Tetsuya is based off of Aoshi Shinomori in appearance.

Naoki is an original character of mine, based off of Itachi from Naruto in appearance and skills, but obviously not in personality for those who know Itachi. Sumiko and Uriko are also my own original characters.

Will is an original character, based in appearance on Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Will is the property of Daniel Wesley Rydell and used with permission.

I think that covers all of the new characters. I don't really have a lot else to say about the chapter. As always, please read and review.


	17. I, II, III: Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. No sue for you.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter III: Confrontation_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Grandidi Forest | 4:43 PM]

* * *

"Fireball!"

Uriko's attack sailed at the dark-cloaked figure on front of her, who merely put up a pink barrier of energy, the Shell making the Fireball attack dissipate harmlessly on its surface.

"This may not even be worth my time, if all of your attacks are as weak as that one," the figure said, shaking his head. "I'll end this quickly."

The energy veil around him began to shrink as he spoke, forming into nothing more than a dark ball in his hand and revealing his true looks. The figure's body was of average-build, his chest covered by a white shirt traced by yellow lines around the outside. His arms were covered in a sort of cloth gauntlet, covering his arm from the elbow down in blue and yellow material. His pants were much the same as the shirt, white with yellow outlines, and his boots resembled the coverings on his arm in both design and color, reaching up to the knees. On his lower torso and upper parts of his arms and legs, the areas were covered with bandages, unknown whether it was from injury or just a stylistic choice.

"Don't let your guard down," Sumiko said, looking at the figure carefully as she held her rapier out in front of her in a fencing stance.

"Believe me," Naoki replied, "I won't. This guy just reeks of trouble." Without another word, Naoki hurled the kunai at the figure, watching in disbelief as the kunai actually slowed down in mid-air before coming to a complete stop in front of the figure. The man simply plucked the throwing weapon from the air calmly, dropping it to the dirt.

"Just so you have an idea of who you're messing with," the figure began, "allow me to introduce myself. I am Seeker, a Time Alchemist, at your service. Of course...my objective right now is merely to take the Holy Stone from you. Simply hand it over, and there will be no trouble."

"And if we don't?" Uriko asked, eyes blazing.

"Then I'll take it. By force."

_(Play: For The Reunion (Naoki's Battle Theme) - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)_

"It's three on one. We can take this guy," Sumiko said, green light swirling around her as she stabbed her rapier into the ground. "Soil Evidence!"

The ground under Seeker cracked slightly, then exploded, raining shards of earth down onto the Time Alchemist, who winced a little under the unexpected attack. Quickly, however, he regained his focus, throwing the energy ball in his hand at the trio. The ball landed before the trio were clear of the radius, exploding out into a Demi spell which sapped part of the energy from the group. As they recovered, Seeker called another spell, pressing his momentary advantage further.

"Haste!"

Red light flashed around Seeker for an instant before vanishing, tinging his body a red hue, and he charged the group, the spell rendering his movements instantly a blur. Naoki barely had time to look up again before Seeker blasted him in the jaw with an uppercut, the combined force and momentum lifting Naoki up to crash into the ground a slight distance away.

"Inferno!"

Uriko pointed a palm towards Seeker as Naoki fell, a spray of fire washing out from her hand and onto Seeker and burning away at the Shell spell that remained over him. Seeker just smirked, sensing the spell's ineffectiveness and pointing a palm over towards Uriko in response.

"Quarter!"

Instantly, Uriko recoiled in shock, another large amount of her energy destroyed by the invisible, mental attack. Sumiko's hands thrust out then, launching a powerful Flare spell at Seeker which slammed into the Shell, buckling it inward but not breaking it. Naoki also stood back up, but his eyes were now different from before. Instead of his normal black pupils and white eyes, his eyes - now red - sported a smaller pupil with three curved dots, resembling commas, surrounding the pupil in a vaguely triangular formation.

"Punch me in the face, will you..." he muttered, watching as Seeker defended against another spell from Uriko. Quickly, he held a hand up, watching as an intricate seal appeared in the air in front of his hand upon the focus of his energies. "Thunder Flare!"

Instantly, the air around Seeker became electrified, trapping him in an orb of lightning that continuously chipped away at the Shell protecting him. Another Firaga spell flew in, courtesy of Uriko, and caused the Shell to shatter, both the Thunder Flare's final bursts and the remnants of the Firaga exploding in Seeker's face and pushing him back slightly.

"Now you've made me mad..." Seeker growled, charging at Naoki with his enhanced speed. To Naoki, however, Seeker looked as if he was still moving the same speed he was without Haste. Seeker threw a punch aimed at Naoki's face, which he blocked, retaliating with a powerful strike into Seeker's abdomen, followed by a snapping high kick that sent Seeker stumbling back. Wasting no time, Naoki and Sumiko took the opportunity to launch a joint attack, Naoki's hands flashing through multiple hand signs as Sumiko's rapier rose to the sky.

"Grand Fireball!"

"Blackout!"

A powerful fireball launched from Naoki's outstretched hands as bolts of dark energy appeared in the air over Seeker, courtesy of Sumiko's attack. Seeker just stood still, holding his hands out as purple light gathered around them. The same energy began to outline the fireball and energy bolts as they approached, turning their red and black colors a purplish hue, before they simply stopped, frozen in mid-air.

"No way!" Sumiko cried, seeing both attacks now frozen harmlessly in the air.

"I'm afraid so, my dear. Time Alchemy is a useful thing. For instance..." Pressing a palm to the ground, Seeker smiled as a small, circular seal of some sort flashed on the ground, causing both suspended attacks to fade from sight in the blink of an eye.

'_What was that supposed to do...' _Uriko thought to herself, keeping her attention focused on Seeker. "Hydra!"

The ground in front of Seeker rumbled before a large, three-headed dragon of flame seemed to rise from the ground, spitting bolts of pure fire at Seeker. Seeker vanished in response, and before anyone else could react, two small portals opened up near the trio. One portal released a powerful burst of fire at Sumiko, Naoki's Grand Fireball attack, while the other released Sumiko's Blackout attack towards Naoki and Uriko. Surprised, none of the three had the chance to react before the attacks struck them, sending Uriko to the ground and staggering Naoki and Sumiko.

Reappearing, Seeker looked over the battered trio and smirked, wondering why such a weak group of kids could be so stubborn.

"Sending your attacks into the future is but one of the many things I can do as a Time Alchemist. However...I believe it's time to end this little game." Vanishing again, Seeker warped over to where the packs of the three were laying, quickly snatching up the topaz that was found earlier and smiling. "There. Mission accomplished. I hate to grab and run, but orders are orders." Without any further warning, a bubble of dark energy formed around Seeker, gradually shrinking in size around the man's form. When the bubble imploded into itself with a small burst of energy, Seeker was gone.

_(End: For The Reunion (Naoki's Battle Theme) - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)_

Angrily, Uriko leapt up, pain momentarily forgotten as she glared at the spot Seeker stood a moment ago. "I can't believe we let him get away! And with the gem, no less!"

Grunting slightly, Naoki rubbed his aching shoulder before holding his hand out, another intricate symbol appearing in the air and showering white light over his body. "We tried, Uriko...that's all we could do." Silently, he turned to Sumiko, casting the symbol again and engulfing her body in white light as well.

"He forced you to use the Sharingan?" she said, noticing the intricate design and red coloration encircling his pupils.

"He used Haste. I countered it." Closing his eyes for a moment, Naoki opened them again with a quick blink, returning his eyes to their normal state as he dismissed his ability.

The Sharingan. A special ability possessed only by Naoki and his family, the Sharingan allowed the possessor to copy nearly any ability that they see, but only if their body and mind were capable of handling it. It also allowed the possessor to better see an enemy's movements, effectively slowing the target's movement in the eyes of the user. However, it took a large drain on the user's energy if used for too long, possibly even killing them if pushed beyond their limits.

"We should get to Esthar," Naoki continued, looking between Sumiko and Uriko. "We might be able to find out more about this...'Seeker.'"

"Sounds like a plan," Sumiko said, beginning to pack up their things with haste as they prepared to make a trip into the heart of the Estharian continent.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Hallway | 4:38 PM]

* * *

"So, the worm is awake."

Those are the first words I hear after leaving the infirmary. Turning to my right, I see the same person who was dueling Katanas earlier in the day leaning against the wall, arms crossed and staring at the floor.

"And just who might you be, who possesses such a lovely disposition?" I say, rolling my eyes as the figure's head tilts up to stare at me.

"The name is Albel Nox, fool. I am the Symbology instructor here at Trabia...of course, I doubt that you'd last a day in one of my classes. Anyone who can be beaten that easily by Revolver doesn't deserve to train under me."

Biting my tongue, figuratively speaking, I force myself to ignore the insult as another question comes to my mind.

"Okay, I'll admit, he wiped the floor with me. So, let me ask you this. Just how powerful are the DeValles, anyway? I've seen all three of them fight, but just how powerful are they?"

Albel scoffs. "Darius is overconfident...though this isn't surprising, considering both his age and...other events. However, it would be foolish to consider him weak. Revolver is more refined in his battle style, making him a formidable opponent. Katanas...he is nearly unparalleled. He has quite a reputation on Gaia for being quite possibly the most powerful fighter alive. His strength, both in and out of battle, has earned him a nickname of sorts: the Steel Reaver."

"And how powerful are you? You looked like you were holding your own against Katanas when I first saw you."

Hearing my words, Albel just smirks. "I am powerful enough, worm. You are correct; I was holding my own on the battlefield against Katanas. However, I know my limits. If that had been a true fight, I could not have stood against him. But do not get the misconception that I believe I am weak. My power is not something you would care to witness firsthand."

The look on Albel's face is enough to nearly unnerve me in itself, but the tone of his voice makes it clear that he isn't someone I would care to have angry at me.

"I see. Thanks for the information," I say, nodding at Albel and continuing down the hallway. Albel says nothing, instead just shaking his head and walking off in the opposite direction. Stopping for a moment, I notice a piece of paper tacked to the bulletin board near the end of the hallway that catches my interest.

* * *

_**Attention: All Students**_

_**Registration for Trabia Garden's Alchemy courses will begin on March 17, 2152. Please contact Katanas DeValle for more information.**_

_**Registration for Albel Nox's Symbology courses will begin on March 24, 2152.**_

_**For registration information on any of the following courses, please see the appropriate instructor.**_

_**GNS 201: Basic Gunsmithing - Darius DeValle**_

_**BKS 102: Intermediate Blacksmithing - Revolver DeValle**_

_**LRC 301: Introduction to Long-Range Combat Techniques - Jonathan Zeras

* * *

**_

The bulletin lists several more courses and instructors, but my mind is fixated on the first part of the bulletin.

'_Alchemy...I wonder if there's any way I could enroll here at Trabia to sign up for that...'_

Mentally shrugging to myself, I decide to ask Katanas about it later before exiting back into the lobby. As I move to step outside of the Garden, however, a quick glimpse outside reveals that a snowstorm is currently blowing through the area. Sighing, I focus on my energy intently, before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Centra, Abandoned Ruins | 4:40 PM]

* * *

A small flash of light signaled Kisara's reappearance on the continent of Centra, home of a civilization destroyed over one hundred years ago. All that remains of the once-proud civilization are ruins, much like the ones that Kisara now stood in front of.

"Even after all this time, some of the ruins of Centra have not been destroyed."

As she took several steps towards a set of stairs leading down, Kisara stopped, looking around the area. Something didn't feel right, though she wasn't surprised - the area had been the source of a massacre many decades ago, and it was likely that fiends still roamed the area even now.

"Darkness is strong here...no doubt the remains of fiends and the souls of the deceased."

Still, Kisara moved down the stairway, descending into the depths of the destroyed civilization. The area beneath was damp and murky, wet from water seeping through the ground. Kisara's immediate surroundings appeared to be some ancient maze of tunnels, possibly used for hiding during attack or some number of other uses. Its purpose now seemed to be a haven for fiends, as numerous darkness-dwelling fiends approached Kisara, skittering just as quickly back into the dark upon discerning her ethereal-born nature.

However, not all fiends were so fearful. A tall, four-armed skeleton wearing ceremonial robes of some sort barred Kisara's way as she delved deeper into the ruins, looking down with menacing eyes that glowed with dark power. A Bonelord, the remnants of a priest who devoted his life to magic, only to lose his mind in his research...and then lose it in the literal sense shortly after as he was driven insane by his knowledge.

Kisara stopped, looking at the fiend in front of her that easily dwarfed her in size, before shaking her head.

"Poor tortured soul...I shall release you from your torment." Chanting softly, a small orb of energy gathered in Kisara's hand, hovering above her hand until it was just smaller in size than a basketball. "Shining Orb!" Releasing the energy, the orb flew at the Bonelord, prompting the large fiend to chuckle, the sound eerie and out of place in the halls. Waving its arms in front of its body, a transparent wall of force appeared before its body, taking the brunt of the attack and leaving the Bonelord unharmed.

"Foolish goddess..." it hissed, voice scratchy and weak. Extending all four arms to its sides, orbs of energy began to form in each palm, one each of red, blue, white, and yellow. Thrusting its arms out, Firaga, Waterga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga burst from its palms, all four third-tier elemental spells headed straight for Kisara. She was unintimidated by the fiend's power, though, and conjured an energy barrier of her own that received the attacks.

"Not as simple as I thought...very well," Kisara said, placing her hands in a praying gesture. "Binding!" A wave of energy suddenly rushed from Kisara, carrying with it the power of Stop magic as it approached the Bonelord. The fiend gestured quickly, summoning a skeletal minion from the ground that intercepted the attack, before seeming to smile towards the magus. Raising its arms into the air, a portal appeared over the Bonelord, spells of all elements and affinities beginning to fly out from the depths of the magical gate. Everything from Firaga, to Thundaga, to Aero stormed towards Kisara, who covered her face as the multitude of spells converged on her. Fortunately, what the spells had in number, they lost in power, each individual spell being much weaker than a normal spell of the same kind. As the spells continued to strike both Kisara and the ground around her, she uncovered her face, white energy surrounding her entire body.

"I have been given powers by the great mage Xeios himself..." she began, looking up at the Bonelord. "I will not fall so easily to the likes of you, demon!" Placing her palm towards the demon, she unleashed a powerful burst of energy that split into four individual streams, each easily as powerful as a typical Holy spell. The Bonelord had no way to defend against such an attack, and its body began to turn to dust under the holy power. Looking at the spot where the Bonelord once stood, Kisara used some of her energy to cast a curative spell over herself to heal her wounds before shaking her head.

"What manner of sorcery was that...even necromancy could not have created such a beast..."

Quickly pushing the thoughts away, Kisara continued to head down the hall, intent on finding the Stone as quickly as possible.

* * *

Several minutes later, Kisara came across a grand set of doors, worn away from time and the water slowly dripping from the ceiling of the halls. Pushing the doors open, she stepped into what was once a large antechamber, but is now nothing more than an empty room with several fallen statues inside. Amid the rubble of the statues, Kisara spotted a bright red glow and headed for it, kneeling down quickly to examine the source. A bright red ruby lay partially covered by the rocks, emanating a clearly magical glow that lit up the dark recesses of the room with a soft shine.

"The Holy Stone Capricorn..." she murmured, picking the Stone up. Instantly, the glow ceased, turning the room pitch-black for an instant before the Stone began to faintly glow again.

"Who dares to touch the Stone...speak thy name," a voice rang out, seeming to come from every direction at once.

"I am Lady Kisara, Ethereal Mage under the god Xeios," Kisara replied, unafraid of the disembodied voice.

"You and your kind are not welcome here," the voice replied harshly. "Replace the Stone and leave this place."

"Who are you to give orders to a goddess?" Kisara asked, insulted by the words of the unknown being.

"I am the Lucavi Demon of the Stone, Adramelk. I am wielder of its power, holder of its knowledge, and chooser of its bearers. Your kind I am not bound to respect in the same way as mortals..."

"Nor am I bound to respect you, demon. I am trying to safeguard the Stones from misuse. I mean no harm to the Stones, nor do I intend to use them for my own purposes. My intentions are for the safety of this realm, and nothing more."

"Your intentions aside, you have been ordered by your Creator to not intervene," Adramelk continued, leading Kisara to wonder how the demon could be aware of such a thing while bound inside the Stone. "By breaking the binding that holds you to her word, you no longer receive the benefits of her protection. Expect no quarter from me or my minions. Now, replace the Stone and go in peace. Else, prepare for the wrath of the Ghost of Fury..._my_ wrath."

Kisara remained silent for a moment, knowing that Adramelk had a valid argument, but did not openly say so. Instead, she merely placed the Stone back onto the ground before standing up and turning to leave. "As you wish."

The room brightened considerably at that, and mist began to rise from the Stone, forming into a vague shape of a powerful looking beast resembling Ifrit, but less canine in appearance. The beast's skin was a dark green, and razor-sharp horns extended from the beast's skull at an angle as well as black claws that sprouted from thick, muscular hands. The being's name was Adramelk, Lucavi of the Capricorn Stone and the Ghost of Fury.

"One more thing, goddess."

Kisara stopped, turning around at the demon's words. "Yes?"

"Those who break honor-bound oaths...are not welcome here." With a loud roar, mist began to cover the room, forming into many different fiends of all shapes and sizes. Kisara's eyes widened, realizing both the Lucavi's intentions and that she is completely surrounded seconds too late to act. Summoning energy to her hand, she tensed, preparing to take the only option left and fight her way out of the ruins.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Seeker is an original character belonging to Iron Reaver and used with permission.

Albel Nox is essentially the exact same as he is in Star Ocean 3: Till The End of Time. He was played by Iron Reaver.

Adramelk, I believe, is also the same as he was in Tactics. He was also played by Iron Reaver.

If it's not becoming evident, Iron Reaver played most of the villains during this story. Just to point it out. As always, please read and review.


	18. I, II, IV: Fated

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. Lawyers be gone!

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter IV: Fated_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Centra, Abandoned Ruins, Antechamber | 5:17 PM]

* * *

Kisara threw a bolt of magic at the nearest fiend to her, and even as it disintegrated into bits of dust, the fiends rushed forward, intent on bringing down the goddess before them.

So it was of great surprise to Adramelk when a flash of light intervened, blinding him for a split second. As the light cleared, Kisara was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 5:18 PM]

* * *

"Are you okay?" Katanas asked Kisara, looking over at the goddess.

"I am. Thank you, Katanas," she said, looking down at the carpeted floor of the office. "However, I've discovered some unsettling news. My work here on the mortal realm seems to have done far more harm than good."

"How so?" Katanas queried, intrigued by Kisara's statement.

"Adramelk, the Lucavi Demon of the Capricorn Stone, confronted me when I tried to obtain the Stone. He informed me that since I have disobeyed the Mistress' order not to interfere...I have broken the protection that would allow me to claim the Stones."

Katanas' face shifted to a look of concern as he folded his arms, looking down at the hardwood desk in front of him.

"That is indeed troubling news. Do you believe that all of the Lucavi know this information?"

"The magical link that binds the twelve Stones together binds the Lucavi together as well on a spiritual level. It would be a safe bet to assume that Adramelk has informed all of his kin."

Katanas just let out a weary sigh at the information. "Well. At the least, we know that these Demons aren't weak."

Silence reigned in the room for several seconds, a tense atmosphere falling over the air before Kisara spoke again.

"There may be another way...though I hesitate to even bring up such a matter."

"Oh?"

"I had initially hoped to do this alone, but this new development has destroyed any hopes I once held of that happening. Now, I propose another way," she continued, turning away from Katanas. "We find mortals willing to accept and safeguard the twelve Holy Stones and their power."

Katanas turned, moving to his desk and sitting down before facing Kisara once again, a thoughtful look coming over his face as he pondered Kisara's suggestion.

"You realize, of course, the danger of this."

"I do," Kisara replied, her voice rising slightly. "That is why I am hesitant to even discuss the matter. Mortals...are unpredictable at best. Also, I would rather not risk putting them in such danger as this, but I see no other alternative now.

"Might I propose an alternative solution?" Katanas asked.

"Of course."

"Destroy them," Katanas said, leaning forward slightly. "Permanently. And if that requires destroying the Lucavi with them, then so be it. If these Stones pose such a great danger, safeguarding them might not be enough. I am loathe to suggest this, you understand; all those centuries of knowledge, lost. The circumstances, however, I believe warrant such a radical suggestion."

Kisara seemed to consider this for a moment, before shaking her head slightly. "You realize the difficulty of this, however. Few things in the Ethereal Realm can destroy an artifact imbued with powers such as these Stones hold. Even fewer objects on the mortal realm may be able to do so. Are you sure that this suggestion may even work?"

Katanas merely nodded. "There are ways to dispose of artifacts of even the greatest power. My family has hoarded secrets from decades past. We know of ways to bind and unbind magical properties using Alchemy, along with other techniques. However...the magnitude of power we're dealing with will require a great number of alchemists. Myself, Revolver, and Darius simply aren't powerful enough to get the job done."

"My knowledge of Alchemy, even as an Ethereal Magus, is limited as best. We may have to use a combination of our ideas. Find mortals willing to safeguard the Stones until we can devise a way to destroy them," Kisara replied.

Again, silence engulfed the atmosphere of the room, lasting even longer than before as both Katanas and Kisara considered the magnitude of the decision they were now attempting to make.

"I...suppose that would be an acceptable plan of action," Katanas finally said, agreeing to Kisara's terms.

"Good," Kisara replied, nodding. "Do you have any suggestions for bearers of the Stones?"

"As of this moment, I do not," Katanas said, shaking his head.

"Would you be willing to hold one of the Stones?" Kisara asked, her face holding a bit of concern.

"...I would, but not for any great period of time. I know myself better than anyone else. With all of the knowledge available at my fingertips, I would eventually fall prey to its temptation."

"I will keep that in mind," Kisara responded. "We must begin preparations for this soon. The sooner that the Holy Stones are secured, by whatever means, the less chance there is that their power will be misused."

Standing up from his desk, Katanas nodded again, understanding the urgency for haste. "Very well. I propose that the Capricorn Stone be left alone for now, as well. Adramelk is noticeably one of the more powerful of the Lucavi."

"Then left alone it shall be. I suggest that we take measures to prepare in case another of the Stones is released. As much as I dislike saying it, time is not on our side. We must prepare for the worst as well as the best."

"Right. We should meet again tomorrow and begin."

Kisara began to say something, but stopped, her face shifting into a look of mute concern.

"Is something wrong?" Katanas asked, noticing the worried look on her face. Kisara remained silent for a minute, obviously focused on something.

"Do you feel that?" Kisara asked suddenly. "A large power is nearby...even greater than my own."

"...You're right," Katanas agreed after a moment. "Something, or someone very powerful is nearby. Can you tell what the source is?"

"I may be able to," Kisara said, closing her eyes in an attempt to discern the source of the energy.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Galbadia, Monterosa Plateau | 5:24 PM]

* * *

A lone, female figure overlooked the large structure of Galbadia Garden, peering down upon the building from the top of the plateau. She smiled as she watched the building and its occupants, her smile appearing to be a pleasant gesture, but at the same time able to unnerve even the bravest of fighters.

"So. It appears I was right," a voice said from behind the figure. Turning, the woman came face to face with Will, the smile never leaving her face.

Destine, the Pillar of Destiny, faced her 'brother' with what could pass for an innocent look, her long black hair and all-black outfit giving her an appearance resembling gothic fashion. However, the most notable part of Destine's appearance was the presence of strange, vein-like markings along parts of her face.

"Why, Will. What a pleasant surprise," Destine remarked with a voice full of false sweetness, causing Will to frown.

"Niceties aren't your style, Destine."

"I'm not allowed to say 'hello' to one of my fellow Pillars? You hurt me, Will," Destine replied, still smiling.

"Why are you here in the mortal realm, Destine?" Will said, ignoring her words and causing Destine to turn back to Galbadia Garden.

"Merely to...observe the mortals."

"That's a lie. I already know you're planning something, so why don't we simply cut to the chase, shall we?" Will countered, folding his arms. Destine turned back, the smile on her face now gone and replaced with a look of apathy.

"What good would it do you to know my plans, Will? You wouldn't be able to stop them, even if you did know what they were."

"Overconfident as usual. You seem to hold the misconception that I have no power against you, Destine."

"But, see, that's the thing," Destine said, smirking. "You don't. You wouldn't dare attack me, and even if you told Mother about any of this, we both know that she would never believe you."

Will remained silent, merely watching Destine warily as she once again turned back to Galbadia Garden. Neither of the two said anything for what seems like hours, Will standing quietly and watching Destine as she looked down upon the area below. He knew that she was planning something, likely involving both the Ethereal Plane and mortal plane, but he had little clue yet as to what that might entail.

"I enjoyed this little chat, Will. We'll have to do it again sometime," Destine suddenly said, her voice soft and yet mocking as she vanished from sight, leaving the Pillar of the Future all alone on the Monterosa Plateau.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Bridge | 5:26 PM]

* * *

"Good to see you back," Buddy says as I reappear on the bridge. "I think Rikku's been pretty worried with this snowstorm going on."

"Where is she?" I ask, looking over at Buddy.

"Try the cabin, or maybe her room. Last I saw, she was showing some people around the ship."

"More people..." I mutter, turning around to leave the bridge...and nearly running into a young girl. The girl appears to be about nine years old, with long white hair tied into a ponytail, a long-sleeved blue shirt with gold trimming on the ends of the sleeves, a long white skirt, and a pair of ankle-length white boots.

"Excuse me..." the girl begins, looking up slightly at me. "Can you help me with something?"

"...Sure," I say, hesitating for a moment. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could give me a lift," the girl responds.

"A lift? Where to?" I ask, and the girl pauses, seeming to think for a moment.

"Actually...I think I've got that wrong. I think I need to give you a lift," she says, smiling. My eyes widen in shock a split second before a bolt of magic strikes me in the chest, blasting the wind out of me and hurling me completely through the front window of the bridge. As I'm falling out of the ship, I try and turn my fall into a backflip to land on my feet, but fail and land on my stomach instead, further crippling me. Now gasping for breath and trying to pull air into my lungs, I desperately try to stand up as the mysterious girl floats down from the new hole in the window, landing softly on her feet in front of me.

"...What the..." I manage to choke out, looking up at the girl.

_(Play: Final Fantasy VI Phantom Midnight OC Remix (Fayt's Theme) - mp, OC Remix)_

"Did you enjoy your trip?" the girl asks, looking down at me with her hands on her knees.

"...Just who are you...?" I gasp, managing to get back on my feet.

The girl merely smiles, standing back up to her full height. "I am destiny, I am purpose, I am pain, and I am happiness. I am the embodiment of all the hopes and dreams that float around aimlessly through time. I am the giver of life and the taker of souls," the girl explains, turning away from me. "But you may call me Fate. Spelled with a 'y', though…I prefer F-a-y-t compared to F-a-t-e."

"...Fayt?"

"That's me!" she says happily, turning back to face me with the same smile still on her face. "Don't bother telling me who you are, since I already know. Really, you don't look like you're all that bad...but if Mother brought you here, you must be important. And if you're important, that means you might get in my way."

"...So you're trying to kill me because I just _might _get in your way?" I ask, finally back on my feet with my swords unsheathed.

"Now you get it!"

That makes me pale. This...girl, or whatever she is, is really beginning to unnerve me. And not just because she's trying to kill me, either.

"Well, I'm not going down that easily, you know," I reply, sliding into a fighting stance.

"Of course not! It wouldn't be much fun if I killed you right away. I think I'll just play with you some first!"

_(End: Final Fantasy VI Phantom Midnight OC Remix (Fayt's Theme) - mp, OC Remix; Play: Final Fantasy VI Dancing Madly First Form OC Remix (Ben's Battle Theme) - waxingeloquent, OC Remix)_

I barely have time to blink before another bolt of magic sizzles past me, just missing my side, but whether it was intentional or accidental, I'm not sure. Spinning one of my swords once, I slash down and then up powerfully, sending a red wave of energy at Fayt in the form of my Crescent Strike attack. The attack fizzles out harmlessly against a conjured barrier of magical energy, and Fayt giggles slightly before hitting me square in the chest with another bolt of energy, throwing me back to the dirt again.

"You're no fun! I'm getting bored already!" she yells, calling up a green ball of energy in her hand. Eyes widening, I recognize the magic, and scramble to my feet, immediately calling up my Angel Wing skill and taking off into the air as she throws the magic. The Ultima magic explodes directly under my position, propelling me even higher into the air and sending up a large cloud of dust, snow, and dirt.

Sparing a glance around, I see several figures running towards me from the Celsius, recognizing Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, but not the two others with them. Another energy bolt that whizzes by my head forces me to turn my attention back to Fayt.

"Doublecast: Flare, Ultima!"

A powerful beam of energy launches from my now-outstretched hand, having sheathed one of my swords before casting the spell. A green energy ball follows it, and both attacks explode at Fayt's position with terrifying force. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine run up to me as I float back down to the ground, as well as the other two figures.

"Are you okay?" Rikku asks quickly, looking over at me. "We heard the crash, and-"

"I'm fine, just a little bruised," I reply, cutting her off. "But that little girl...that's not even right..."

"Girl?" Yuna asks, turning to look at where my attacks impacted. Standing there, and seemingly unscathed, is Fayt, the same grin still on her face.

"More people to play with?" Fayt asks, then smiles. "Oh, his girlfriend showed up! You guys can make out after the fight if you're still alive," she says, beginning to charge up another spell.

"This isn't a game!" I yell, preparing to go on the offensive again, when a flash of light in front of us stops both our group and Fayt. The light clears to reveal Katanas DeValle and another figure, a young woman with white hair that I don't recognize.

_(End: Final Fantasy VI Dancing Madly First Form OC Remix (Ben's Battle Theme) - waxingeloquent, OC Remix)_

"So...you must be the cause of the energy I was sensing," Katanas says, looking over at Fayt.

"She is. The girl in front of you is Fayt, one of the three Pillars of Reality, Katanas. Do not let your guard down for a second," the woman says.

"Kisara...whatever brings you to the mortal realm? Did you come to play with us too?" Fayt says, her smile changing to make her look devilish, despite her innocent appearance. "And Katanas DeValle...this just gets better every second!"

"We'll handle things from here," Katanas instructs. "You might want to leave."

"She threw me out of a window," I retort, shaking my head. "I'm not going anywhere." Katanas looks at me for a moment, and then calmly turns back to Fayt.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" Fayt suddenly exclaims, looking at an imaginary watch. "I simply must depart...you understand. Places to go, people to see, things to do. It's so very hard being a Pillar of Reality," she says, before the air around her suddenly seems to distort, phasing her body from the realm in a matter of moments.

"What is her reason for being here..." I hear the white-haired woman murmur, before Katanas turns to us.

"Is everyone okay?" he asks, and we all nod as I cast a quick curative spell over myself.

"What was that all about?" I ask, looking over at Katanas and the woman, hoping they might provide some answers.

"I do not know any more than you do," Katanas replies. "Kisara?"

"Remember when I explained to you that certain gods in the Ethereal Realm wished to overthrow Freya?" the woman, now identified as Kisara, asks Katanas. "Well, Fayt is one of them. She's leading a group of other gods in the attempt. So far, Odin has been able to keep things under control, along with Xeios' help, but things are slowly moving out of their hands."

"Well, that doesn't explain why she just tried to kill me," I cut in, looking over at the duo. "I don't have anything to do with the Ethereal Realm...though she said something along the lines of 'since Freya brought me here, I might get in her way.'"

"If Fayt finds you a threat, you had best be on your guard," Kisara replies. "Fayt is the least powerful of the Pillars of Reality, but what she lacks in physical and magical strength, she more than makes up for in cunning. She may act like a child, but that is exactly what it is: merely an act designed to further her innocent facade."

"It seems we now have bigger problems on our hands than just the Holy Stones," Katanas interjects, looking towards Kisara.

"I agree."

"Katanas, I wanted to ask you something, and now seems like a good time to do so, considering what just happened," I say, looking over at the fighter.

"Yes?"

"How hard would it be for me to get into the Alchemy courses here at Trabia?"

"Well, you would need to become an associate of Trabia Garden before you do anything. Think of it as the basic form of enrolling. Then, you could take the basic tests to actually get into the Garden at the cadet level. After that, you would have to go through the typical entrance exams and such to get into the classes themselves. Among other things."

"I see..."

"Katanas, we should be going," Kisara says, causing Katanas to nod.

"Yes, we should. Keep an eye out for Fayt, and let us know if she returns," Katanas says.

"I will," I tell the duo, watching as they nod and then vanish in a flash of light.

"You have some explaining to do," Rikku says, walking over to me.

"Yeah, I know...I'll explain what I've been doing for the past...how long has it been?"

"We left Trabia sometime around yesterday afternoon. You've been gone since then," Yuna says.

"Over a day...great," I mutter, looking between Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "Let's head back to the cabin, and I'll start explaining everything," I say, turning around and beginning to walk back to the Celsius.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Naoki's Sharingan works exactly the same as it does in Naruto; namely, allowing for the copying of any attack used against him. Liken it to Sasuke or Kakashi's Sharingan in the amount of energy it drains while in use, as well.

Destine is based off of Dark Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in appearance, and roughly personality-wise as well. She was played by Daniel Wesley Rydell.

Fayt is an original character, created and played by Iron Reaver.

With this chapter comes the first major villain, in the form of Fayt. She wasn't an easy villain to deal with in the roleplaying, and I hope to convey most of that here as well. As always, please read and review.


	19. I, II, V: Down To Business

Well. College for the win. Being a full-time college student is hard, but it isn't keeping a damper on my spirits. I will finish this story, rest assured. It may just take a bit longer than I expected. I'm doing my best to stay consistent with my writing, though my uploading is becoming more frequent to my own site, as I update it with other things, and less frequent here.

That being said, enjoy the chapters.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter V: Down To Business_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Cabin | 5:45 PM]

* * *

"...And that's basically it, in a nutshell," I finish, looking over at Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, along with Tetsuya and Yuki, whom I was just introduced to a bit earlier. Yuna and Paine look at me with a look somewhat like amazement, while Rikku merely stands up, walks over to me without a word, and promptly slaps me across the cheek. Not enough to really hurt me, mind you, but enough to make me blink.

"That's for not letting us know anything," she says, before leaning down and kissing me on the lips, "and that's for coming back in one piece."

If I said that I knew any decent way to respond to something like what just happened, I'm pretty sure I would be lying through my teeth.

Instead, I merely sit there, disguising my surprise at Rikku's actions behind a look of apathy as I turn to Tetsuya and Yuki. "Okay. Now that I've spilled the beans, my turn to ask questions. Just how did you two get here, anyhow?"

"If you're expecting some grandiose story, I think you'll be a bit disappointed," Tetsuya says, shrugging. "We were on the way to Trabia Garden, and got caught in the snowstorm. We stumbled on this ship, and those two invited us in until the storm was over," he explains, motioning to Yuna and Rikku.

"You're going to study there too?" I query, leaning back in the chair. The teen just nods.

"I'm going to see what I can take to improve my melee skills. Yuki's going to study magic and manipulation," he replies.

"I'm looking at the Alchemy training myself," I reply, which elicits a short chuckle from Tetsuya.

"The Alchemy training? Hope you have a lot of time on your hands."

"Why? Alchemy can't be that hard."

"You don't know what Alchemy is, then," he states, and I quirk an eyebrow.

"Oh? Enlighten me, then."

Folding his arms, Tetsuya looks over at Yuki. "You want to explain?" he asks, to which the younger girl simply nods.

"Alchemy...is tricky to explain. It's kinda like magic, but you don't just draw and cast it like you do with regular magic. You learn to manipulate things at a basic level, creating, altering, or destroying them with nothing more than your mental strength. That's just for the general Alchemy, too. If you start to specialize in a certain part of Alchemy, or a certain branch of elemental Alchemy, you can spend years just learning that one part to the best of its potential."

For the second time in about as many minutes, my mind boggles. My previous thoughts about Alchemy - namely, that it was the same in my world; the supposed process of turning base metals and other materials into gold - were very far from the mark. This Alchemy sounds like a very advanced form of magic...something I could definitely stand to learn.

"What kinds of elemental Alchemy are there?" I ask, curious to know more.

"Let's see...there's the major elements: Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Earth, Wind, Holy, and Dark. Those are really the eight major types of elemental Alchemy. I've also heard of a few more, but I don't really know anything about them. I'm not even sure if what I heard is right, really."

'_Water or Ice would probably be best for me to try...I do have Shiva, after all, and she could probably help me focus more on those than if I tried some other element, like Fire...' _I think to myself, still digesting all the information that I've heard.

"Well, that settles it. I'm going to try and enroll in the Garden to take one of the Alchemy courses," I state, standing up.

"Are you sure?" Yuna asks.

"Positive. I've got some crazy goddess after me now, remember? I'm going to need all the power I can get."

'_And allies, too,'_ I think to myself, leaving that thought unspoken.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Residential District | 6:00 PM]

* * *

"I can't believe this. We've been asking around here for over an hour now, and no one knows anything about this guy. Lousy waste of time," Uriko grumbled, a sour look on her face showing her clearly fed-up attitude.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree," Sumiko replied, the three of them stopping at a street corner to take a moment of rest. They had been in every place they could think of that may hold a clue as to the identity of the one who attacked them, or at least a little more information, but they had come up with nothing. Of course, they had a feeling that they knew the reason why. Everyone seemed to be afraid of this person, either shutting up immediately upon hearing the name or ordering them out of the building entirely.

"Excuse me?" a voice called, footsteps moving behind the group before stopping.

"Yes?" Naoki asked, turning to face the person who spoke. The person in question was a young girl in her teenage years with long, dark hair, set into a long braid coming down past her shoulders. A small, brown hat adorned her head, matching the elbow-length gloves, knee-length boots, and one-piece dress that she wore as well.

"Are you three Naoki Ishida, Sumiko Remiere, and Uriko Kurabasa, by chance?" the girl asked, causing Naoki to nod.

"That's us. Why?"

"My name is Silvia Conrad," the girl started, bowing slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I heard that you were looking for information on...Seeker," she continued, keeping her voice low as she says the name.

"You know something?" Uriko interrupted, stepping beside Naoki.

"Well, I don't know much about him, but I know _where_ you can find information about him."

"This would be?" Naoki prompted, quirking an eyebrow at Silvia.

"Head to Trabia Garden. There's a place called Arkives there that you can use to access information on nearly anything. If there's any place you're going to find information about this guy, that's your best bet."

"There's just one problem with that," Sumiko said, glancing over at Naoki and Uriko before turning to Silvia. "None of us really know just where Trabia Garden is."

"I know it's somewhere in the mountains near here, but I don't know exactly where," Naoki adds.

"Well, you're in luck. I'm about to go to Trabia Garden to start training," Silvia said, though somewhat unenthusiastically. "I can show you where it is, if you'd like."

"We would appreciate that," Naoki replied, graciously accepting the girl's offer on behalf of the group.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Corridor | 6:02 PM]

* * *

"Hey, what's the hurry?" Rikku asks me, following me out of the cabin. I had left quickly after hearing Yuki's explanation of Alchemy, hoping that I wasn't too late to register.

"I'm going to register at Trabia," I reply bluntly, looking over at my girlfriend. "Do you need something?"

"Not really, I just wanted to ask something," she says, walking up to me. "I know we know a lot about you, but...we don't really know a lot about you when you think about it," she continues, causing me to blink.

"Uh...run that by me again?" I say, confused at her odd statement.

"I mean, we know who you are, but...who are you really? We don't know a lot about where you came from, who you were before you got here...you know," she says, apparently finding it tough to phrase her question.

My mood immediately goes from calm to downcast as I realize what she's asking. "You mean my history, of sorts?"

"That's it!"

Sighing, I look around the hallway, seeing no one else; everyone must still be talking in the cabin. "Let's go to your room. If I'm going to talk, I want to talk somewhere private. It's not something I really like talking about," I tell her, turning and walking into the elevator. She follows a moment later, turning and pressing a button on the wall as the doors close.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Rikku's Room | 6:03 PM]

* * *

"Better?"

"Much," I reply, sitting down on the bed. I don't really even know where to begin. So, I just decide to start talking, and hope that I can keep some semblance of calm.

"Okay. You've been around me for a long time now, so you should know my personality. I'm serious most of the time, maybe too serious for my own good. I've done some...I guess maybe the best word would be 'heroic,' things while I've been here, but as far as I know, I'm no one special. I don't even know why I'm here now, to tell the truth. Since you already know I'm from another dimension, I guess the best place to start would be my family," I say, closing my eyes as I speak.

"I was adopted when I was about six months old. I grew up with a mother and grandmother. No father, just those two. I never really thought much of it, never really cared why. I was pretty easy-going, never really letting a whole lot get me down. So, I didn't really have much trouble until around half a year after I turned ten. Some things happened, stuff that none of us really ever thought would happen...end result, both of my parents got pretty badly hurt. A couple years later, my grandmother died. About a year after that, my mother died. That was when I was about fifteen."

This was the main reason I always hated talking about my past; it brought up a lot of things I'd rather not remember.

"That's around when I changed. Most of my fun-loving personality just...disappeared. I started being really serious, lots of people even called me cold. I focused on a lot of things to try and get my mind off of the fact that I'd lost both of the people who were closest to me in a matter of a year's time, but it didn't really work. If it wasn't for my aunt, I think I might've gone crazy. Now, skip ahead about two years. That's about the time I turned seventeen, and also about the time I came to Spira and met up with you and Tidus."

"...I'm beginning to feel kinda sorry I asked..." Rikku says, looking over at me.

"That's life. When you least expect it, everything turns upside-down," I say, sighing and absently fingering the ice crystal-shaped pendant around my neck.

"Where did you get that?" Rikku asks, noticing me twirling the piece of jewelry over in my fingers.

"A close friend gave it to me when I was about sixteen," I reply. "I've always kept it with me, as sort of a good luck charm."

"Oh..." Rikku trails off, her look of sadness fading, to be replaced by a look of curiosity. "There's something else I wanted to ask you. When we were on Yunie's pilgrimage...really, even while we were sphere hunting, you looked like you knew a lot about Spira, even though you're not from Spira. Why?"

Even as I hear Rikku ask the question, I start mentally yelling every curse word I can possibly think of. That was the one question I'd been asked before, the one question I never wanted to explain. If I answer, I'm not sure how Rikku will react. If I don't answer, I may end up having Rikku not trust me again.

Sighing, I turn to look Rikku in the eyes, having decided to get it over with.

"This is going to sound strange, and you might not believe me, but it's the truth. In my world...this parallel reality, or whatever you want to call it, is just a game. Not just the world we're in right now, Gaia, but Spira as well."

Rikku's face moves to a momentary look of confusion, and then shock as she realizes just what I said. Slowly, I stand up, moving towards the door before turning back to Rikku.

"I felt the same way when I found out that all of this is real...and it is real. If you want to get specific, everything that's happening now shouldn't even _be _happening if this world was, in fact, just a game. This isn't just a game. This is reality. If you get cut, you bleed. You feel pain. The entire world around us is _alive_, not just bits of data in a computer. I don't care if this world was just a game in my world...this is our reality."

Rikku stands up and walks over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I believe you...just, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was scared. That isn't just something you can shrug off, you know...that could change the way you think, the way you act, everything about you. I wasn't sure if telling you would be for the best, so I decided not to say anything at all."

Pausing for a moment, I watch as Rikku nods, before continuing.

"As for my background...it's a touchy subject to me. Like I said, I don't like talking about it. Usually, I'll only explain if someone asks."

"I'm sorry I asked, then..." she says quietly, causing me to shake my head.

"It's not your fault. You wanted to know, and I can't blame you for that. In your position, I would want to as well. But enough about that," I say, smiling. "I need to head to the Garden and see about getting enrolled. I'll see you when I get back, okay?" I say, giving her a quick kiss before stepping out of the room.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Conrad Synthetics, Zeo Conrad's Office | 6:16 PM]

* * *

"Good, very good...you've done well," Zeo Conrad said, nodding to Seeker and taking the Sagittarius Holy Stone. "This game just got more interesting...you are dismissed."

Silently, Seeker walked out of the room while Zeo Conrad pressed a series of buttons on the keypad next to him. The screen flashed once, changing to an image resembling the Balamb Garden seal, but instead with an aqua circle around the center of the emblem, leaving the trademark black and white center still the same. A moment later, the screen shifted to an image of Darius DeValle, Sr., who frowned upon seeing the person addressing him.

"Zeo Conrad. To what do I owe the pleasure, or lack thereof, of this call?"

"Darius Sr. DeValle. Always business, as usual," Zeo replied, smiling a kind, but still unnerving smile. "The reason I'm calling is not merely a call for pleasantries' sake, as you may have suspected. I have business to discuss with you, business that you may find...interesting. Would you mind meeting me at the Pandora Cafè later this afternoon, perhaps around...1900 hours?"

Darius Sr. furrowed his brow in contemplation for a minute before regaining his apathetic appearance. Zeo Conrad had never been one to invite a business enemy, as he considered it, out to dinner without a very good reason...so the question was, what was Conrad playing at?

"I suppose that will be acceptable, Conrad," the Senior replied, deciding to play Conrad's game. He moved to press a button on the desk, looking away from the screen as he did so before stopping and turning back to the screen suddenly. "Oh, and one more thing, Conrad. Please be prompt. I know that you seem to have a problem with that."

The desk on Zeo Conrad's office desk flashed again with the Garden emblem before shutting off completely, leaving Zeo Conrad alone in his office once more.

"Soon, Mister DeValle, you will see that you don't hold quite as many cards as you believe you do..." Zeo uttered, continuing to examine the Sagittarius Stone in his hands intently.

* * *

Not much to say about this chapter - look forward to a confrontation between Darius DeValle Sr. and Zeo Conrad, though. As always, please read and review.


	20. I, II, VI: Transactions

Not much to say about this chapter. Confrontations galore, however. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter VI: Transactions_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Pandora Café | 7:00 PM]

* * *

The evening rain fell slowly over the shining, technological streets of Esthar as a lone figure pushed open the door, Zeo Conrad stepping into the building and nodding to the attendant standing just inside. No words were said as the Estharian business leader stepped past the attendant, the younger female stepping aside and out of his way. Conrad's pinstriped blue suit jacket and pants, along with his white shirt and blue tie were apparently unaffected by the rain, their pristine appearance unmarred. Taking a look around the relatively empty establishment, he smirked as he noticed a lone figure seated at a table on the left side of the room, beginning to walk up to the table calmly.

"Ah, Senior. I didn't expect you to actually be here," Conrad said, taking a seat across from the Trabian headmaster. Darius Sr. just smiled, his tan robes and the thin, yet extremely durable breastplate worn over the robes serving as a stark contrast to Zeo's appearance.

"Conrad. I've been here for some time now. I see that you're fashionably late. As usual."

"Fashion _is_ the name of the game, you know. Not that it's any business you would associate with," Conrad replied, unwilling to let Senior get the advantage in an exchange of verbal barbs.

"Amusing, Conrad," Darius Sr. said, shaking his head. "By the way, Loire called."

"Oh?"

"Yes. He said that he wants you to give his business sense back. Or lack thereof, in your case."

Conrad's eyes narrowed as Darius Sr. leaned back in his chair, chuckling slightly at the expression on the businessman's face. A waiter stepped up to the table, setting down two glasses of a reddish-colored wine before each of the men, and Darius Sr. nodded, wordlessly thanking the waiter. Picking up the glass, Conrad took a sip of the beverage, enjoying the taste of the wine before sighing.

"Enough with the pleasantries, then. I have a business proposition for you," he told the Garden leader, who merely shook his head.

"I do believe that is what you called me here for. Unless you've already forgotten."

"Ha," Conrad replied, reaching into the front pocket of his coat and withdrawing a small topaz, the simple and innocuous form of the Sagittarius Holy Stone.

Darius Sr., to his credit, merely quirked an eyebrow at the sight. "Oh, so you've found yourself a shiny stone? You should have that appraised at a jeweler." A look of mock thought crossed his face for a moment before he smiled. "_That _must be why you're here. You want me to appraise it, to save yourself the shame of being caught in one of my stores. Clever, really," he finished with a smirk, taking a sip of his wine.

Conrad's eyes flashed with anger for a moment before he sighed deeply, already clearly fed up with his fellow businessman.

"It's a _Holy Stone_, DeValle. Surely you've heard of them? Magic is _supposed _to be your specialty."

"Absolutely," the headmaster replied, his uncaring visage unwavering. "Unfortunately for you, it is not yours. As such, it won't do a thing for you."

"Thus the reason for this meeting."

"Explain."

"This is a powerful artifact of the _gods_," Conrad sneered, looking over at Darius Sr. "Surely you know what it can do."

"Even the gods can't help you," Darius Sr. retorted. "You're a lost cause, Conrad."

"You-"

"I, however, know exactly what to do with it," he continued, cutting Zeo Conrad off from speaking. "I assume you were hoping to make a transaction? So was I. You shouldn't have left your runes at home, _boy_."

Any further conversation was simply silenced as Darius Sr. raised a hand, blasting Conrad out of his chair with a pair of point blank Fira spells. The other patrons in the cafè immediately headed for the door in panic, some screaming in fear at the sudden attack in the building. The waiters dropped the food they were carrying, heading for the back of the building in the hopes of finding safety. As Zeo Conrad picked himself up from the floor, spilled wine and burnt tablecloth falling from the table, Darius Sr. stood up from his seat.

"You rotten..." Conrad began, but was abruptly cut off once again by the sudden appearance of two figures behind him - namely, Albel Nox and Revolver DeValle, the latter with his hand on the hilt of his broadsword. Conrad spun to face the arrivals, furious at the deceit.

"This is-"

"The family," Darius Sr. finished, looking directly at Conrad with an expression now hardened and cold, the complete opposite of the business-like appearance he displayed mere minutes prior.

"Certainly you're not thinking of challenging me, are you?" Albel taunted, smiling darkly at Conrad. "I have better things to do with my time than toss around some maggot like you."

"I think I will accept your deal, Conrad," the Trabian headmaster said, folding his arms. "Your life for the Stone. Of course, we can arrange other methods of payment. Methods that don't require you to be...present at the business table."

Conrad just scowled, turning back to face Darius Sr. "This won't be the last you've heard from me, DeValle."

"Worm," Albel grunted, spinning around Conrad with ease and twisting his arm, grabbing the Stone from his hand as it opened, then grabbing the front of his coat and shirt with his right hand. Calmly, he dragged Conrad away from the table before actually _throwing_ him towards the doors of the cafè, the doors opening with an earsplitting crash as Zeo Conrad hit them, flew through the doorway and landed on the ground outside of the establishment.

"Come again," Darius Sr. remarked with a mocking smile, right before the three of them warped away, leaving only broken glass, fallen chairs, and burned decor behind them.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 8:27 PM]

* * *

"So, you wish to enroll here at Trabia?"

"Yes, I do."

I do my best to keep my face calm, despite the nervousness running through my mind right now. I'm not sure what enrolling even entails, but I'm not going to back down very easily. The thought of Alchemy training is just too intriguing for me.

"I see." Katanas turns, opening a large file drawer and rifling through papers with ease, locating the file he desires after a few seconds of searching. Opening the file, he pulls out a series of stapled sheets, handing them over to me. "This is the first part of the application process. Consider it a general information exam. The other two parts are physical and mental exams, to test your physical stamina and skills, as well as mental acuity and magical ability. Simple standard procedure, to weed out any undesirables. You understand."

Looking over the papers, I nod. "Just take the test, and then come back here?"

"Actually, once you are finished with the test, give it to the receptionist. She should direct you to the second part of the examination, as well as the third later on."

"Got it. So, where can I go to begin taking this test?"

Katanas thinks for a moment, apparently going over a list of classes in progress or the like in his mind, before speaking.

"Go down to the second floor, turn right, and take the fourth door on the right. There should be an empty classroom there that you can use."

Nodding my assent, I stand up, bowing to Katanas as I move to leave.

"Thank you, Katanas. I appreciate it."

"Best of luck to you," he replies, as I turn and walk out of the room, headed down to the second floor to begin the exam.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Parking Garage | 8:29 PM]

* * *

"Well, this is it. Trabia Garden," Silvia spoke, stepping out of the driver's seat of her vehicle. The drive from Esthar to Trabia had taken a few hours, but she had made the trip smoothly, the vehicle gliding over the roads leading from the technological city to the Garden.

Naoki stepped out of the passenger seat, impressed by what he had seen on the way in. Looking around the parking garage, he waited as Sumiko and Uriko also exited the vehicle, in equally as much wonder at the large military facility.

"We thank you again for the ride, miss Conrad," Naoki said, bowing. "It would've been a very long trip here without your help."

"You're welcome," Silvia replied, turning to walk away from the car...and then stopping dead at the sight of the figure now standing a few feet away.

"Well, well. I wasn't aware you had finally settled down, miss Conrad," Darius said, his lips moving into the familiar smirk he usually wore. Silvia looked a little startled at the words, though, instead of amused at the light joke.

"Settle...down...?"

Darius stopped, eyes widening as he watched the look on Silvia's face, before he realized what he said.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring up painful memories..." he said, looking sincerely sorry for once.

"I know, I know..." Silvia replied, shaking her head before turning to Naoki and the others. "Go ahead and look around the Garden. I need to talk to Darius."

Naoki simply nodded, respecting Silvia's wishes and motioning to the rest of the group, causing them to begin to head out of the parking garage. Darius walked closer to Silvia, no words exchanged between the two for a moment as Darius smiled somewhat, the look out of place on the youngest DeValle's face.

"Listen. How about I take you out to eat, to ease your mind? Just like old times," Darius offered. Silvia's face brightened immediately at the proposition.

"I wouldn't mind at all..." she said, smiling. "Of course, you're paying. It's the gentlemanly thing to do, mister DeValle." Now it was Silvia's turn to smirk, Darius' expression moving to one of complete shock for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before he burst out into laughter.

"I think you've been hanging around businesses too long," he said, still chuckling. Shaking his head and calming himself down once again, he nodded to Silvia. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way," Silvia said, the friendly pair also beginning to make their way out of the parking garage.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafè du Nord | 8:46 PM]

* * *

"So, what's the occasion?" Silvia questioned, taking a sip of a mug of hot chocolate as she sat at the table across from Darius, who was holding a similar mug of the beverage.

"You don't want to have a leisurely outing with good old me?" Darius asked, feigning hurt. Silvia just took another sip of the warm drink, smiling behind the cup.

"Of course not. It's funny how when that happens, a store goes out of business," she joked, managing to stifle a giggle with the mug of hot cocoa.

"Your words have punched a hole in me!" Darius responded, clutching his hand to his chest in an exaggerating manner before falling out of the chair completely. No one even batted an eye towards the antics of the youngest DeValle, except for Silvia, who collapsed into an uncontrollable fit of giggling.

"Darius, get up," she managed, still laughing. "Of course I don't mind."

"But..." Darius trailed off, quirking an eyebrow at Silvia as he climbed back into his chair once again.

"You always have a motive," Silvia replied. "I'm fairly certain that you're renting out your lungs, which you're already extorting so that they'll keep working...it explains why you're still breathing, after all that you've been through." Darius choked back a laugh at the joking answer and the insinuations behind it.

"Touchè, touchè. Maybe I did have a reason."

"You want to know why my dad met with yours?" she questioned, taking another swallow of her beverage. Darius merely shook his head, reaching into a pocket and holding up a small disc.

"I already know. We had surveillance on the building before my dad even set foot inside," he explained, placing the disc in front of Silvia. "I wanted you to see this, too."

"Oh?"

"It was quite amusing, actually," Darius said, leaning back in his chair, setting the piece of furniture on the two back legs for a moment before letting it touch the ground once again. "Unfortunately, as I'm sure you're aware, our fathers are dabbling in an area that's a bit above their reach. I'll admit, my father has some serious magical knowledge...but that stone is an artifact of the gods. If your father was quick to make a deal with it, then he knew he was in over his head."

Silvia stared at her mug of chocolate, now nearly empty, for a moment, pondering Darius' words. "You think Senior is going to..."

"I'm...worried," Darius replied with a slow nod, the admission uncharacteristic for the normally confident young man.

"I haven't seen you worried since-"

"Yeah, my little incident," Darius said, cutting Silvia off from continuing. "We can talk about that later. There's one more thing I want to bring to your attention."

"The fact that I just left my traveling companions stranded here in Trabia with no Garden identification, no directions, and no clue?" Silvia asked, feigning innocence.

"I'll concede the first two," Darius said, chuckling. "The third was there before you _could _help them." Silvia let out a mock gasp of shock, gaping at Darius as the marksman smirked and folded his arms.

"Darius! Be nice!"

"I'm sorry! I'm forgetful!" he protested, trying and failing to keep a straight face as the two friends shared another round of giggles.

"Darius..."

"Alright, alright," he said, shaking his head and calming himself down before drinking the last of his hot chocolate. "But...there's someone you should keep your eye on, especially while you're in Trabia. In fact, stay a few days. You might even get a chance to meet him."

"Who?" Silvia asked, now curious as to what her old friend could mean. Darius merely gave a smile in response, this smile looking much more natural on the marksman.

"Don't worry. _All_ will be revealed in time."

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]

* * *

"You called for me, Mistress Freya?" Will said, kneeling before Freya as she stood from her throne.

"I did, Will," Freya replied, her soft voice clear and commanding. "I am curious to know what you have seen while in the mortal plane."

"I believe you'll be pleased to know that your champion is continuing his training, Mistress. He has also met with the newest Emissary, as per your request."

"So, the child has arrived in Gaia. Good. I thought for a time that he would not heed my call."

"At any rate, he is here. Your champion is in Spira now, training with the warrior monk. He looks to be progressing nicely," Will replied.

"That is good news. We may need his strength soon, if Odin cannot end this war quickly."

"Unfortunately, I think that this war is about to take a turn for the worse."

"Do you believe that something terrible is soon to happen, Will?" Freya questioned. Will merely nodded, his face turning to a downcast expression.

"Destine came to me while I was in the human realm...she's planning something. I don't know exactly what she may be planning, but I do know this. Whatever she is up to, it's big, and it could be very bad for both the mortal plane and the Ethereal Plane," Will replies.

"I see...however, even with this knowledge, I do not believe Destine will pose a threat to the realms. Even with her power against us, the Ethereal Plane has the means to defend itself, should she openly make an attempt to seize control."

"Mistress, if I may...?" Will began, looking up at Freya.

"Go ahead."

"Destine may pose a bigger threat than you realize, Mistress. She may lack the power to openly seize control of the Ethereal Plane, but that does not mean that she couldn't find a way to make others follow her. Destine is very bold, after all...she wouldn't hesitate to simply force others to do as she said. Eventually, she would have enough of the gods backing her to consider attempting to take control. In short, I believe this needs to be dealt with, and soon."

"I appreciate your concern, Will," Freya replied. "Yes, Destine is bold enough to orchestrate actions such as what you just described. However, at the present time, I do not believe that she can manage to gather the power necessary for her to set any plans she may have into motion."

"If that is your decision, then I will stand by it."

"Good," Freya said, returning to her seat on the throne. "I have one more matter to discuss with you, Will. Lady Kisara has gone to the mortal realm, has she not?"

Will remained silent for a moment, knowing that Freya would not be asking the question without good reason...as well as the fact that as a Pillar of Reality, he was bound to be loyal to Freya.

"She has, Mistress."

"Am I correct in assuming that her reasons have to do with the Holy Stones?" Freya asked, causing Will to look down slightly before nodding.

"You're correct. She...talked to me while we were in the mortal plane. She knows that several of the Stones have already been found. She wants to find the rest and safeguard them from the humans," Will explained. "She fears their misuse...after all, these artifacts hold centuries of power and knowledge. It would be all too easy to use them for evil."

Freya folded her arms, closing her eyes and remaining silent as she considered Will's words carefully.

"You have told me all I need to know, Will, and for that I thank you. Now, I have a task for you."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"I want you to find all twelve of the Holy Stones, and retrieve them. I also want you to find Lady Kisara. When you have done so, send her to me. I have matters to discuss with her." Will nodded in response, kneeling once again before Freya.

"I will do as you wish, Mistress," he said, looking up from his position on the ground.

"You are dismissed, Will. I wish you luck on your search."

Will stood quickly at that, turning and walking out of the chamber and leaving Freya alone to consider her next actions.

* * *

Choices have been made. Actions will be undertaken. That is all. As always, please read and review.


	21. I, II, VII: Fortitude

I hate writer's block. That is all.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter VII: Fortitude_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 1-D | 9:41 PM]

* * *

"I hate forms," I mutter, stepping out of the classroom Katanas had directed me to, several pieces of paper clenched firmly in my right hand. The form was relatively simple, as had been stated. Simply a form inquiring about most of the general information one might give to an employer. The thing about it was that it was long. Very long, and very detailed. As one might imagine, detailed exams don't sit well with me...at least, the written ones.

Shaking my head, I step into the elevator at the end of the hall, pressing the button labeled '1F' and listening as the elevator comes to life, whirring silently and descending to the level below without so much as a slight jarring. Advanced technology is such a great joy to see. Stepping out of the elevator, I turn to the right, only to nearly run headlong into Darius, who appeared to have been waiting for the elevator.

"You're in quite a rush. Got a hot date with Rikku?" Darius says, his ever-present smirk firmly in place.

"Cute," I retort, a smile creeping over my face. "What's that...it could very well be...do I detect a hint of jealousy, Darius?" I say in a somewhat mocking tone, intending for once not to let him get the better of me.

"Here I thought you were an innocent country boy with a sword. Now I know you're an innocent country boy with a sword, and a shield of naivéte. There might even be a faceplate of ignorance," he replies.

"Actually, I think I'm on to something," I continue. "For all your snide remarks, you're jealous that I actually have someone who cares about me. You hide behind that smirk, but behind it, you're a kid just like me, with insecurities just like anyone else. I think I'm on to something, Darius, and you know it."

Darius looks almost stunned, his smirk now gone to be replaced by an unintelligible look, accompanied by silence. Without saying anything, he turns away, leaving me standing with a small sense of happiness at finally outwitting the cocky Lightning Alchemist.

"...Ben?"

"What?"

A moment later, I figure out why Darius had gone silent. Apparently, he was contemplating the best location in which to punch me. As I stumble and fall, rubbing my jaw as I slide down the smooth metal walls of the Trabian hall, Darius stands over me with a look of pure anger.

"Don't ever. _Ever._Compare me to you again."

With that said, he steps into the elevator, pressing a button and sending the elevator ascending once again as I pick myself up off the ground. The punch hadn't hurt as much as it had surprised me, catching me off my guard for once, but it did let me know that whatever I said had hit a nerve...and a particularly sore one, at that.

"...Well...I don't believe I'll bring that topic up again..." I mutter, rubbing my jaw once again and stepping down the hall towards the lobby.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 9:44 PM]

* * *

Darius walked down the hallway in a sort of daze, headed back to his room. He'd die before admitting it, of course, but Ben had a valid point. Some small part inside of him _was _jealous. As he opened the door to his room, shutting it behind him and locking it while turning on the light, he sighed, a deep sigh full of regret and sadness. Removing his coat, he tossed it lightly onto the bed, sitting down at the desk and holding his head in his hands. The outing with Silvia the previous night, combined with Ben's words, had opened up memories...painful ones.

'_Today would have been our second anniversary...'  
_

* * *

_--Flashback--_

_A carefree boy and an elegant young lady walked down the mid-afternoon streets of a small city in the Galbadian territory hand in hand, conversing and laughing with each other and generally enjoying each other's company. The boy, who appeared to be no older than fifteen or sixteen, suddenly stopped and pointed at a small café, grinning widely._

"_That's the best café this side of Deling City! Café Uzuki!" he exclaimed to his lady friend, who quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the city. It wasn't unknown to her the feelings of discontent that the boy's family harbored for the resident rulers of the Galbadian capital city._

"_Oh, Deling, huh?" she replied, looking over at him. "Then what's the best place around?"_

_His smile only widened. "Why, Rubedo's, of course! It's even more entertaining when the...ah...'social elite' drop by," he replied. The Deling family, of course._

_The girl only shakes her head, still smiling. "You're something else, you know that?" Her tone is full of amusement...content._

_The boy leads her towards the café, sitting down at one of the outside tables. A little more foresight, a little less exuberance, and maybe more time could have been bought..._

_The café had the feel of a quaint bookstore to it, that comfortable, serene feeling where conversation comes easily and flows between a party, leaving time a mere forgotten thought at best. Their waiter, a somewhat aging man dressed in a black kimono with a red sash, quickly took their orders and departed with efficiency as the two began chatting._

_Their conversation began with the apparent quality of the café, quickly turning to more...worldly matters. The attempted assassination of the current ruler of Galbadian territory, Sorceress Edea, had been a failure, with those responsible apprehended and awaiting their fate. Galbadia was suitably outraged at the attempt...at least, those under Edea's command. Such as Seifer Almasy, the acting general of Edea's forces. The discussion shifted more, keeping both occupied between a few cups of hot chocolate and several assorted pastries._

_Things...seemed to get a little fuzzy from there..._

_The boy looked up from his cup and directly into the eyes of his companion. "I think...I think I..." The words seemed to hang in the boy's throat, as he gulped once, calming himself and trying again. "...I think I love you."_

_The last thing after that was the absolute look of astonishment on the girl's face...along with something else. It seemed like...worry._

_She seemed to be struggling with a response, her mouth attempting to form words which would not come. At least, it was for one second. The next, a thunderous crack sounded from a distance off._

_The creed all marksmen live by, especially in times of war - one shot, one kill. That was the only indication the boy had that she had been shot. The blood now staining his face, his clothing, the chair, the table...the only thing he had left as a memento of the one he had just professed his love to..._

_He sat, silently staring at the body of his friend, the one who meant more than a friend to him, as blood poured slowly from a gaping hole in the side of her head onto the ground below._

_All around, people were running and screaming, trying to escape from a threat they couldn't perceive. The boy just sat there, gripped by shock, trying to come to terms with the shocking sight that he had just witnessed, denying that it had just occurred in front of his own two eyes._

_And then, he snapped._

_The boy stood up, slowly and deliberately. Wordlessly, he placed one, then both hands upon the blood-stained ground, watching as a magical flash surrounded him. A large, magical circle expanded over the ground, a transmutation circle, as the boy uttered one simple phrase._

"_My love...my heart...take it with you to the grave."_

_The last thing anyone saw for two blocks was the flash of angry, magical lightning unleashing a fragment of its power on anything in the vicinity._

_The damage was staggering. All around, homes, businesses, any and everything in the surrounding area was ruined, if not outright destroyed. The boy was not unharmed, his clothing torn and burned in places from the immense magical output. Slowly stepping out of the rubble of buildings, fragments of businesses...bodies, the boy limped down the road, a small shred of the DeValle family crest from his tattered clothing the only indication he had ever been there._

_--End Flashback--_

* * *

Another sigh escaped Darius' lips as he pushed aside the painful memories. He recalled the punishment he received for his actions. He also recalled the resulting military action that was taken against the DeValle holdings in Esthar. It was considered a personal message from Edea and Almasy...showing what happens when you mess with Galbadian holdings. After Edea and Almasy were defeated and forced out of Galbadia, the DeValle family began their move out of Esthar's city. The decision for Darius Sr. DeValle to fund and assist with the renovation of Trabia Garden was a smart move on the part of the family, as it ended up providing House DeValle with true stability for the first time since the reign of Adel ended.

Of course, none of this helped to assuage Darius' feelings about his actions. Instead of withdrawing into a deep depression, like most who suffered a traumatic event of the sort, Darius' personality went the opposite way. Blackmail, extortion, all sorts of 'dirty' and dishonorable actions, as well as becoming the head of House DeValle's underground front, known as Merchant's Alley...all of these went into the formation of Darius' new persona, one that his father accredited to him often.

All that...just to hide from his pain.

Taking a deep breath, he reached into a small drawer on his desk, pulling out a small blue stone and rolling it over in his hand. Feeling the power within, he shook his head before returning the stone to its place in the drawer and closing it, closing his eyes as well.

"It's already starting...but I guess none of them know that the whole thing is rigged..."

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Balamb, Rinaul Coast | 9:42 PM]

* * *

"Lady Kisara."

The suddenness of the voice behind her caused Kisara to gasp slightly, turning and coming face to face with the relaxed figure of Will. The Pillar of the Future stepped up beside the goddess, who bowed in respect as he approached.

"Will...to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" she asked, her green eyes shimmering with intrigue, as well as what seemed like a small amount of sadness.

"I come with a message for you. The Mistress requests that you see her immediately. She knows of what you're doing, Kisara."

"Did you...?" Kisara began to ask, but stopped herself as Will shook his head.

"I did not. She knew before she summoned me. I can only assume she knew all along," he replies, ever calm. Kisara simply sighed, lowering her head in shame.

"It appears that my mission was a failure, then," she uttered softly. Will walked over, quietly putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Kisara. Even though you didn't succeed in what you were trying to accomplish...the fact that you were willing to try, despite the circumstances, is admirable. However, in a way, you did succeed. Freya has commanded me to gather all of the Holy Stones, so that they can be dealt with once again."

Turning to Will, Kisara looked honestly surprised at the statement, having not expected Freya to take such immediate action after her words earlier. Silently, she reached into her robe, pulling out the Taurus Holy Stone and handing it over to Will.

"If that is the case, then I wish you luck," she said, causing Will to smile.

"Thank you," he replied, watching as Kisara bowed once again before vanishing in a small burst of white light.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Arkives | 9:50 PM]

* * *

Arkives. The information storehouse of Trabia Garden. Holding facts and figures on everything from Trabia's business ventures, to notable biographies of famous people from all over the globe, it serves as a repository of data few sources in the world can match.

"So, this is Arkives," Naoki said, more to himself than anything. The building appeared to be similar to a great library in appearance...but more like a military hangar in size, having multiple floors from the outside appearance.

"Think we'll find anything we're looking for here?" Uriko interjected, looking up at the building with a hand on her hip.

"We won't know unless we go in," Sumiko replied, stepping towards the building. Naoki and Uriko followed her inside, looking around at the interior of the structure as they entered.

The inside of Arkives was much like a massive library, dwarfing anything most people would ever see in terms of sheer volume of information. Rows of books and oaken shelves lined the walls and interior of the main room in a neat, orderly design, leaving room for several desks and tables around the outside edge of the room and near the door.

"May I help you?" an older lady asked, obviously the librarian for the floor.

"Yes. We're looking for information on a man calling himself 'Seeker,'" Naoki explained, causing the woman to nod.

"Personal biographies and information are on the second floor," she directed, pointing to a staircase at the back of the room.

"Thank you," Sumiko said, motioning to Naoki and Uriko to follow as she walked to the back of the room, past several Trabian students lingering between shelves of books. As she moved to go up the stairs, however, a tall man dressed in a grayish-teal uniform stopped her. Sumiko turned, noticing the man's sidearm and badge that identified him as a member of the security force for Trabia Garden as the man spoke.

"May I see your identification cards, please?" the guard said in an even tone, looking over the three.

"Identification?" Naoki repeated, looking over at the guard, who nodded.

"All floors past the first floor are off limits to civilians. You must have a Trabian I.D. card to access the second floor, and a SeeD I.D. card or higher to proceed to the third."

Naoki kept a level expression on his face, though his body language obviously showed some disappointment at being so close to their goal before being abruptly turned away.

"I understand. I apologize for the trouble," he said.

"Quite all right. Most civilians don't realize that particular fact about Arkives," the guard explained, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. Naoki nodded at the guard before the trio turned away, heading back towards the entrance to the building.

"I can't believe it," Uriko muttered, looking over at the two beside her. "We were this close, and now we can't get in. Lovely."

"Naoki...he said we had to have a Trabian I.D. card, right?" Sumiko asked, stopping and turning to the older boy.

"Yes, he did," Naoki replied, stopping as well and examining the look on Sumiko's face. "...You believe we should enroll as students?" he asked, realizing what Sumiko was insinuating.

"Why not?" she said, shrugging. "Think about it. We can not only get information about this guy, we can get in some training while we're here. After all, this place _is_ a Garden, you know. These guys are supposed to be the elite. It can't hurt, wouldn't you agree?"

"For once, she comes up with a good idea," Uriko chimed in, causing Sumiko to sigh.

"Oh, stifle it, Uriko," Sumiko said, making a face at the girl before pushing the doors to Arkives open and stepping out into the cold Trabian air.

* * *

[Ethereal Realm, Palace of Creation]

* * *

Kisara walked up to the doors leading into Freya's chamber with more than a small amount of trepidation. After all, she had essentially disobeyed a direct order from Freya herself in going to the human realm. The two guards standing in front of the doors stood aside as Kisara approached, the magically-enchanted doors opening of their own volition to allow the Ethereal Mage entry.

"I have come as you requested, Mistress," Kisara said, bowing before Freya, who simply motioned for Kisara to stand.

"I am glad that Will found you, Lady Kisara. I have things I wish to discuss with you," Freya responded, a small smile on her face.

"I am listening, Mistress Freya," Kisara said, standing solemnly in front of Freya.

"You have heard of my decision to gather the Holy Stones through Will, have you not?" Freya asked, leaving Kisara to nod slowly. "Then you should know that is why I summoned you here. I stated that we were not to interfere with the mortal realm unless it became necessary, did I not?"

"Yes, Mistress," Kisara replied sullenly, looking down.

"Now then, might I ask what prompted you to disobey my judgment and go to the mortal realm, Lady Kisara?"

Kisara looked up, her expression a combination of nervous and fearful, before beginning to speak.

"I...I had been watching the events on the mortal realm for a time. When I saw the Taurus Holy Stone nearing seizure...I couldn't sit back any longer and watch. I felt that if I did nothing now, I would be unable to act if the situation became dire. That is why I went to the mortal realm, Mistress," Kisara explained. Freya nodded slowly, seeming to contemplate this.

"While your intent was admirable and honorable...your actions were hasty and unbefitting of a mage of your skill. How could you be sure that the Taurus was in danger?"

Kisara had no reply for the statement, instead casting her eyes downward once again as Freya continued.

"However, your actions did reveal to me that the Holy Stones may well be in peril. Therefore, I have sent Will to reclaim these artifacts. I have also deliberated on your punishment for disobedience. Lady Kisara, I hereby ordain that you are forbidden to return to the mortal realm until I have decided otherwise. Perhaps the time you will have to think about your actions will help you sharpen your judgment in the future."

"As you will, Mistress," Kisara responded softly, nodding slowly to Freya. She felt bad for her actions, but was also relieved in a sense, knowing that the punishment could well have been much more harsh.

"You are hereby dismissed," Freya said to the Ethereal Magus, causing Kisara to bow a final time and turn before exiting the chamber sadly.

* * *

Kisara's in trouble. Poor her. As always, please read and review.


	22. I, II, VIII: Heart And Soul

Wow. It's been a while since I've had a chance to write anything on this. School really dropped the hammer on me this semester. Fortunately, my summer vacation is coming up in a month or so, which should hopefully mean that I'll have more time to deal with my writing and such without having to worry about classwork.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter VIII: Heart And Soul_

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Lobby | 9:44 PM]

* * *

"Here are my enrollment application papers," I tell the front desk's receptionist, who nods, taking the papers from me and looking over them carefully with a trained eye. After a minute of examination, she nods to me, affirming everything is in order.

"Very good. The physical examination part of the entrance exam will start at 0900 hours tomorrow morning. Please be prompt."

Nodding thanks, I turn and begin to head out the door, intent on returning to the Celsius. I don't know just what time it is, but I'm definitely liking the idea of sleep right about now.

* * *

[March 18, 2152 | Celsius, Second Level, Hallway | 9:49 PM]

* * *

Soon, I'm back on the familiar ship, inside the elevator heading to the level with our rooms. The elevator slows and opens, letting me step out to find Yuna and Rikku talking outside the room of the former.

"Hey there," I call, looking over at the two girls with a small smile. "Miss me?"

"Hey," Yuna says, glancing back at me as Rikku waves. "How did you like your exam?"

"Too much paperwork..." I grunt, just shaking my head at the thought.

"No kidding," Rikku chimes in, looking back at Yuna. "There must've been twenty pages worth there!"

"At least we got them finished in time," Yuna says, which makes me stop.

"Wait, huh? You guys did applications too?"

"Of course we did! We started thinking about it, and thought it might be a good idea. They've got classes for everything here! Melee weapons, magic, guns, alchemy, you name it, really," Rikku tells me, sounding pretty excited.

"Okay...who's 'we'?" I ask, leaning against the wall.

"Me, Rikku, Paine, and Tidus," Yuna replies, before Rikku holds up a hand.

"Hey, don't forget Shuyin and Lenne!"

"You got them to join, too?"

"They weren't sure at first, but after they looked at what this place offered, they were sold!" Rikku says. It's still a mystery to me as to where she gets all of her energy from.

"Didn't those other two guys say they were going into Trabia, too?"

"Tetsuya and Yuki? Yeah, that's the reason they're here in Trabia to begin with," Yuna says, nodding.

"Thought so. Either way, I only know one thing right now. I'm going to bed," I reply, yawning slightly. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Okay, good night," Yuna says, as Rikku runs over and gives me a kiss before I walk inside, turning back to Yuna to continue their conversation. Quietly, I shut the door to my room, ready to get some sleep for tomorrow morning.

* * *

[March 19, 2152 | Esthar, Conrad Synthetics, Zeo Conrad's Office | 8:17 AM]

* * *

Zeo Conrad shuffled through several papers on his desk, checking carefully over some figures before beginning to do calculations. His company was doing what some might call exceptionally well, though Conrad didn't think of it as anything other than business as usual. As the leading supplier of a widespread amount of materials to construction companies, medical offices and hospitals, and some part of nearly everything essential to everyday life in some form or another, Conrad's fairly small amount of holdings had grown into a massive enterprise over a period of years, bringing several wealthy businesses into its own company holdings. His entrepreneurial empire spanned tens of millions of Gil, if not more, and Conrad was proud of his accomplishments.

**"Sir, someone is here to see you. He says that his name is Will."**

The speakers on Conrad's desk crackled to life with the voice of his secretary, and he quirked an eyebrow, papers momentarily forgotten.

"I don't remember scheduling any such appointment. Send him in, though. I have some time."

That was another of Conrad's strengths - his ability to negotiate. Conrad had the ability to recognize ways to come out ahead in the long run, and throughout the years he had discovered that openness will get you far in a business, be it openness to ideas or individuals.

A minute later, Will stepped through the doors of Zeo Conrad's office, nodding to the businessman. Zeo stood from his chair and walked around his desk, shaking hands with Will quietly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Conrad," Will said, causing Zeo to smile.

"Likewise. Will, is it?" Zeo asked, to which Will nodded in agreement.

"That's correct."

"Well then, Will, please have a seat," Zeo said, ushering Will to a chair as he returned to his position behind the desk.

"I'll only take a minute of your time," Will stated, looking at Zeo unflinchingly across the desk. "I must take possession of the Virgo Holy Stone, both for your safety and the safety of others."

Zeo's eyes narrowed to slits. How had this man known that he possessed _another _Holy Stone? No one in his company or personal connections knew that information - he had saved it as a trump card of sorts.

"I'd merely like to ask why you believe you can walk in here and 'take possession,' as you put it, of my personal property."

Will remained calm and collected, the Pillar of the Future unfazed by the businessman's statement.

"Because, Mr. Conrad, I have foreseen the peril that comes with the twelve Holy Stones being allowed to remain in mortal hands. If the Stones are left unchecked, it will have disastrous consequences for your realm."

Zeo scoffed at Will, holding up a hand.

"I've heard enough from you. Sec-"

Before he could finish his call for security, however, his body suddenly froze, a result of Will's subtle use of a Stop spell.

"I do not wish any harm on you. However, you may _not _be allowed to keep the Stone."

A moment later, the Virgo Holy Stone suddenly floated out of Zeo's pocket, rising into the air and floating towards Will, who caught the Stone deftly.

"I apologize for this, but it was necessary. Good day, Mr. Conrad."

With that said, Will stood up and turned, calmly and quietly walking out of the room, while Zeo remained frozen at his desk, seething with anger. Taking the elevator back down to the first floor, Will waved gently at the lady at the front desk, before walking out of the front door and vanishing in a small orb of white light.

Upstairs, Zeo was released from the Stop spell, and promptly slammed his hand on a button on his desk.

"Security! Find the man who was just in my office, now!" he yelled into the intercom, waiting for a confirmation.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it appears there are no traces of anyone being in your office this morning," a voice replied over the speakers. Zeo growled in frustration, turning the intercom off and slamming a fist down on his desk.

* * *

[March 19, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Knight's Hall, Training Grounds | 8:54 AM]

* * *

Morning came all too swiftly, if you ask me.

It almost took me a bit of time to get out of bed...until I remembered why I was waking up so early. Needless to say, I was ready to go very quickly after that. After a few minutes of getting directions to the training grounds at Knight's Hall, where the physical exam was to be held, I finally made my way here. Strangely enough, even though I'd imagined SeeD in general to have a large amount of trainees awaiting a chance at cadet status, there don't seem to be very many here. Maybe just over a hundred in all.

As I take the time to look around and examine the field, I see a figure striding towards us...two figures, actually. One is Katanas, that much is certain, despite the fact that he appears to be dressed in what I assume is his Trabian SeeD uniform. The other is a man about his height with dark hair, and dressed in what I can only guess is some kind of kimono, featuring a white robe or shirt of some kind under a dark black robe with golden designs along the edge of the front.

"Looks like you got a pretty nice turnout this year, Katanas," the man says, looking over at him. "Your Alchemy program might just end up bigger this year than it has ever been."

'_Well, that explains a lot. These aren't all the trainees, just the ones looking at the Alchemy program,' _I think to myself, turning my gaze back to the duo of men.

"Maybe," Katanas admits, looking over the group of trainees. "We'll just have to see how many actually make it in."

"True enough," the man concedes with a shrug, as Katanas steps forward.

"May I have your attention, everyone."

All talking seems to stop nearly immediately, as all eyes begin to focus on Katanas.

"Thank you. It's 0900 hours now, so I will begin. I welcome you all here to Knight's Hall, where you will shortly begin your physical assessment under my colleague, Instructor Georg. Instructor Georg is the department head for melee instruction and defensive skills here at Trabia Garden, and I hope that you all will learn from him, even today. Instructor?"

With a wave of his hand, he allows the instructor to step forward, clearing his throat.

"Thank you, Commander. As he said, I welcome you here to Knight's Hall for the second part of the entrance exam. This part is exactly what the name suggests - a physical examination that will test your speed, strength, stamina, and dexterity. This may be the entrance exam for the Alchemy branch, but that doesn't mean you can sit back and let your mind do all the work. You have to be prepared for anything. If you think you're not ready for this exam, I suggest you back out now and come back when you are."

Nothing is said among the group of trainees, and no one moves to leave the area. The instructor just nods a little, smiling.

"No quitters in this bunch, I see. That's a good sign," he says, before turning to Katanas. "Well, Commander, I believe I can take things from here, if you need to leave."

"Good to hear, Instructor. You should be able to find me in my office if something comes up," he replies, before beginning to walk off the way the pair came. The Instructor just turns back to us, with somewhat of a smile on his face.

"Alright, guys and girls, listen up! This exam is now in session! We'll start with something easy and fun, then work our way up to see just what you're capable of! I want every cadet to drop and give me push-ups, two minutes!"

I can almost swear I hear some groaning from nearby cadets, before every one of us begins to hit the ground in somewhat of a wave effect, beginning to do push-ups. I can already tell that this exam will be a lot tougher than the last, and not just because it's physical work versus a bunch of writing.

* * *

Ten minutes later, my suspicions are confirmed.

Right after the first two minutes of push-ups were over, we were told to unjunction any Guardian Forces we might be using. Then the exercises_ really_ began. More push-ups, sit-ups, and a few sprints so far, with no sign of it getting any easier from here. Most everyone is showing at least some signs of fatigue, mostly just a bit of heavy breathing as they try to catch a moment's respite. I'm just thankful I made an attempt to get myself in shape a few years ago, or I'm fairly sure I'd be in bad shape at the moment.

"Okay, listen up! The next exercise will test your endurance! Two mile run, from here to the Garden's gates and back. First one back gets...well, you'll have to be the first one back to see, won't you?"

The Instructor just smiles, before taking off towards the Garden. All of us begin to follow as quickly as we can, the entire group of applicants turning into a surging mass of people heading for the gates.

Even without junctions, my strongest point has always been my speed. I've found very few people who can even keep pace with me at a full run most of the time, let alone outpace me. So, I'm not very surprised to see myself near the front of the group almost immediately, before I slow down a bit.

"This is a two-mile run...I need to pace myself," I mutter, turning my pace into a brisk jog. People begin to pass me, heading to the front of the pack with focused looks on their faces. Even then, I'm still around the middle of the group. The group is beginning to spread out even now, with some people obviously leading the rest of the group, and some people trailing somewhat behind. We've probably covered about half the distance back to the Garden already, which means we're a quarter of the way done with the exercise.

Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary as we hit the gates and turn around, which is good news for me. I'm just glad that something seems to be normal for once. Finding out that a goddess wants you dead for almost no reason is enough to make anyone stop and blink a little. Everyone seems to be picking up the pace a little now that we're on the returning end of the run, and I do so as well, thankful that I made the smart decision to conserve some of my energy early on. Some students are looking quite tired now, lagging behind several yards as they try to regain some energy to finish the run with.

This entire time, the Instructor hasn't said a word, instead just continuing to keep pace in front of us, looking back every so often to check our progress and to make sure we're keeping up. As we continue to run, however, he suddenly looks back and yells to us.

"Half-mile left! Don't you give up on me now!"

That shout seems to make everyone refocus their efforts, including myself. As I speed up, trying to get back to the front of the group from my position at roughly fifteen or twenty behind the leader, I grimace a little. The strain of the running is getting to me even more now, and I can feel my lungs aching and my right side throbbing from the exertion. Still, I keep going. I didn't come out here just to get left behind and overshadowed by a bunch of other people. I came out here to prove myself. Not just to the Instructor...but to myself as well.

Ever since the SFA Grand Championship, I've had a nagging feeling inside of me, some feeling that's been making me doubt myself. That feeling of doubt hasn't gone away; if anything, it's gotten stronger since coming to Gaia. I hate feeling like I'm the weakest link, but I haven't been able to do anything to make myself feel better about it. Now, being out here in Trabia and training to get into one of the most elite groups on the planet...the doubt only seems to have gotten stronger. If I can't do it, if I can't get into SeeD and prove that I'm more than just what everyone takes me for at first glance, then I'll feel like my decision to come here was all a big waste. Not to mention the obvious question - if I can't run two miles, how am I supposed to be able to defend myself against Fayt?

I don't intend to let myself down like that.

Even as we approach the last few hundred yards back to the training grounds, I'm still moving up towards the front. I'm somewhere inside the top ten now, but I don't care about that right now. All I care about is getting to the front of the group and making it the last bit of the way. The Instructor is almost to the grounds now, and appears to have stopped to watch us as we approach. Putting all of my effort into keeping myself going, I look ahead to see two other people in front of me, just as we near the Instructor's position. The Instructor glances at a watch, then signals to the person in front, who finally slows to a stop, breathing heavily and kneeling to take a rest. As I slow down as well, stopping just after the first two people, I sigh a little, also kneeling to catch my breath. I may not have come out the leader, but third place is good enough for me.

The rest of the group gradually falls in behind us, some running past the "finish line," some merely walking and trying to catch their breath. The Instructor stands still, pulling out a small pad and beginning to note down the times that we arrived in. Despite my legs feeling like jelly, my chest aching from the exertion, and my side cramping from lack of oxygen...I actually feel pretty good about everything.

"Not bad, not bad," the Instructor comments, looking over our group, most of whom are still trying to catch their breath. "I'll give all of you two or three minutes to recover before we go on to the next part."

'_Finally...long-distance running is definitely not my thing...but I made it. I am so glad that's over with...then again, the next part is probably even worse than this one.'_

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Destine's Domain]

* * *

"Sis, are you sure you're not doing anything other than wasting my time? I've got things to deal with, you know," Fayt muttered, looking over at the figure of her "sister," Destine.

"You really need to learn patience," Destine retorted, glancing over at Fayt with mild annoyance tinging her features.

"_You _proposed this little truce of ours, _you _wanted me to come talk to you, so the _least _you can do is get on with it!" grumbles Fayt, folding her arms.

'_Brat,'_ Destine thought to herself, turning away from Fayt.

"I just wanted to know how your plan is progressing. Have you managed to get rid of that kid yet, or those DeValle brothers?"

"...Not yet," Fayt replied, shrugging. "That annoying Ethereal Magus and her boyfriend showed up and spoiled my fun." Destine just gave a loud sigh - relying on others wasn't something she enjoyed.

"Can't you do anything right?"

"Hey, I'm the one doing all the work! You're just sitting back and watching all of this, you know! You could at least give me a little bit of help!" Fayt replied indignantly, glaring at Destine.

"You're right, Fayt. I _should _give you some help."

Turning back to Fayt, Destine's hand began to glow a slight shade of blue. Fayt quirked an eyebrow...just in time to see Destine grab her arm with her now-glowing hand. Immediately, Fayt and Destine both became covered in blue light, the sensation causing Fayt to hiss.

"What...what are you trying to pull, sis?!" she spat, looking at Destine with rage boiling in her eyes.

"Simple. Since you seem to be inept at getting your half of this deal done with, I'm going to do it for you. All that power of yours? That's about to be mine."

Fayt just growled before blasting a spell into Destine with her free hand - she hadn't cared what spell, just anything to keep her 'sister' from taking her energy. Surprised, Destine let go, watching as Fayt stumbled back a step. The exchange, brief though it was, had drained her, and all Fayt could do now was glare at her "sister."

"You witch...I can't believe you! Do you know how long it took me to get that much extra energy?!"

"Of course I do. That's why I took it. Congratulations, you just advanced my plans by a large margin."

Destine smiled at Fayt, then disappeared, leaving Fayt alone to scream and rage at the empty Ethereal domain.

* * *

I had an incredibly difficult time trying to decide what I wanted to do with this chapter. The ending part with Fayt and Destine was my favorite part of this whole chapter. As always, please read and review.


	23. I, II, IX: Decisions

Not a lot to say about this chapter. Just the introduction of another character, among other things. I'm finally back into an inspired attitude for writing now, so updates should be a bit more frequent now.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter IX: Decisions_

* * *

[March 20, 2152 | Celsius, Second Level, Ben's Room | 9:00 AM]

* * *

"Hey, wake up!"

My first impulse upon hearing a yell from outside my door is to throw the nearest object at said door. Unfortunately, before I can do just that, my rational side takes over.

"...Huh?"

"Come on, Ben, get up! Don't you want to know the entrance exam results?"

It actually takes my brain a moment to process what was said, as I'm still halfway in the depths of sleep.

"Results...?"

And then it hits me. All at once.

"Results?! You mean they already have the results?!"

I'm out of the bed in a second, instantly almost wide awake. Reaching onto the table beside my bed, I grab my Garment Grid and slide it onto my wrist, spherechanging back to my Blade Knight dressphere before pulling open the door...to find both Yuna and Rikku staring at me, both looking far too happy for nine o'clock in the morning.

"They said they're going to announce them at ten! So, come on, or we're gonna miss it!" Rikku says, her voice practically overflowing with glee.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I mutter, walking out of the room and following Yuna and Rikku, both of whom are essentially jogging through the Celsius now. My mind is racing through yesterday's events even as I run, wondering how in the world they could've assessed so much data so quickly.

I had left Knight's Hall at around two in the evening...and dead tired at that. The other half of the main exam, the magical examination, was nearly immediately after at three o'clock on the other side of the Garden's grounds, which made me wonder if that wasn't also a test. SeeD would also require people who had the ability to last in the field for a long time without rest if the situation required, so the stamina draining could just be another portion of the physical testing. Even so, I was hoping that I would have a little more time to rest than I ended up having.

Thankfully, the magical portion wasn't as draining, though it was still difficult. This test, unlike the physical exam, was done on a one-on-one basis, with one Instructor and one applicant in each area. The area designated for the test had been split up into pieces, with around eight applicants able to perform the test at the same time without fear of injuring anyone. Several other Instructors were standing by, apparently watching to make sure that nothing went seriously wrong during the exam.

My turn had come somewhere near the first third of the group, unfortunately for me. The Instructor took a minute to run down what the exam was supposed to accomplish, before simply stepping to a position behind me. For what I guessed was around the next thirty to forty-five minutes, I spent time slinging spells of all kinds, as well as trying my hand at magic manipulation. When I was done, unlike the physical exam, the Instructor gave a general assessment of my abilities based on what she had seen. Apparently, I had scored in the upper percentages of the applicants that had been seen so far. My knowledge of magic in itself was fair, with my variety of spells being excellent. My magical power was also higher than nearly any other applicant she had seen in a while that specialized in melee combat, more in the healing arts of White Magic than Black Magic. However, manipulation was my weakest point, as I was unable to perform anything but the lowest forms of manipulating magical energy.

Shaking the thoughts away, I step out of the Celsius with Yuna and Rikku, before heading inside the gates of Trabia Garden. Even now, I'm still impressed by how large the place is...and how it looks now that it's rebuilt.

"...You two realize what time it is, right? We're still forty-five minutes early, at _least_," I say, glancing over at my two female companions.

"I know that!" Rikku says, even as we walk into the main lobby. "Nothing wrong with being a little early, you know!"

"...A little, huh."

Mentally, I sigh. This is going to be a long morning.

* * *

[March 20, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Darius DeValle's Room | 9:14 AM]

* * *

A knock on Darius' door caught his attention, causing him to look up from the rifle sitting on his lap.

"Make it quick," he said dryly, turning his focus back to his gun as Will stepped inside the room.

"Good morning," Will said quietly, simply watching for a moment as Darius began to run a polishing cloth over the barrel of the rifle.

"Morning," Darius replied, glancing up from his work again. "So, what brings a Pillar of Reality to my room this early in the morning, hm?"

"The Aries Holy Stone," Will countered. "I need to collect the Stone from you, as the Mistress has instructed."

"Oh, that thing," Darius muttered, putting the cloth aside onto a table and picking the rifle up from his lap before placing it carefully onto the side of his bed. Standing up, he reached into a pocket, pulling out the small, sapphire-colored gemstone and holding it up to Will. "Here." A moment later, he tossed the gemstone over to Will, who caught it softly in one hand.

"I appreciate the cooperation, Mr. DeValle. The last person that I confronted about this was...troublesome about it, to say the least." Darius just smirked.

"I can imagine," he said, sitting back down. "Anything else you need me to hand over? Blackmail, some confiscated bits of equipment, stuff like that?" he continued with a lighthearted tone to his voice.

"No, I believe that is everything," Will replied, chuckling slightly. "I'll leave you to your work now."

A moment later, a spiraling orb of white light appeared around Will, dissipating and taking the Pillar of the Future with it in a brief instant. Darius watched the spot where Will was for a moment intently...before the smirk on his face returned.

"Huh. Can't believe that actually worked," he said, reaching over to the table and inserting a key into a locked drawer, the small drawer opening with a light 'click.' Reaching inside, he pulled out a small wooden box, intricately crafted and decorated with ornate symbols, before also unlocking it and opening the lid.

Inside was the exact same gemstone that Darius just handed Will.

"Ah...I guess even Pillars of Reality aren't perfect," he said to himself, picking up the Stone and examining it. "He should've guessed I was up to something, handing something like this over that easily."

With a smile on his face, Darius replaced the Stone and the box inside the drawer before picking up the cloth on the table and continuing to polish the rifle as if the entire exchange never even happened.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Fayt's Domain]

* * *

If Destine could've seen Fayt right now, or simply the look on her face, to be precise...she might have actually started to rethink her earlier action of draining away most of Fayt's energy.

For about two seconds, anyway.

Scowling, Fayt continued pacing the floor of her domain, the look on her face one of barely contained rage.

"Sis...I swear, I'll kill you for that...you had no right to pull something like that, you brat!"

"You're the brat."

Spinning, Fayt looked over...and came face to face with her sister, who was simply standing across from her with an apathetic expression across her veined features.

"How dare y-"

"Didn't Mom ever teach you any manners? I mean, really. You didn't even invite me in."

Destine paused for a moment, looking up in thought and putting a hand to her chin.

"Oh, wait...it might be because you're not strong enough to even open a portal here. Silly me. I completely forgot about how you must be feeling right now."

Fayt's face flushed in anger, and her jaw dropped open slightly in shock as she ran up to Destine. Lifting her hand back, she thrust a palm out towards her sister in an attempt to slap her across the face, but Destine simply held up her hand, catching Fayt's wrist and gripping it tightly.

"Mom must've not taught you any manners after all, sis...can't even respect your elders."

"You don't deserve it, you witch!"

"That's the best insult you can come up with? And you've been hanging around me for _how many_ millenia now? Show some originality, why don't you," Destine retorted, throwing Fayt's arm away and then lashing out with her other hand, sending a blistering Firaga spell directly into Fayt and hurling her away. Fayt lay still for a moment before getting up, grunting in pain and running a hand over where the attack struck before vanishing. Appearing behind Destine, she cast a trio of spells at her unprotected back - Bio, Silence, and Stop. Destine simply held a hand up, a Shell materializing over her and blocking out the status magics, before turning to face Fayt again.

"You're telling me that you expected to go out and kill all those mortals you claimed you were going to kill at _that _level of power?" Destine asked, quirking an eyebrow. "At this rate, they'll die of old age before you ever get to them."

"Stop mocking me!" Fayt yelled, sending more waves of magic rippling towards Destine, this time Pain, Death, and Meltdown magic.

"Why?" Destine replied, taking the Pain and Death magics on the Shell around her before countering the Meltdown with a Blizzaga. "It's fun."

A moment later, Fayt found herself on the ground again, courtesy of a chain of third-tier spells - Waterga, Thundaga, and two Firaga spells. For a moment, it looked like Destine was going to attack Fayt again, but then she stopped, putting a hand on her hip.

"Looks like Mom's calling...wonder what she wants now," Destine muttered, rolling her eyes. "Probably something silly. Sorry, sis, but I've got places to be and things to do. Have fun with the mortals."

Giving a smile that was almost too sweet, Destine vanished as Fayt climbed back to her feet. Her clothes were ruined, hair and skin a mess from the battering of third-level magic attacks, but she simply gave a short growl before holding a hand up, the white energy of healing magic lacing over her and mending the wounds as quickly as they were inflicted. In seconds, it looked just like Fayt had never been attacked at all.

"...I can't believe her nerve. Waltzing in here like she owns the place..."

Still muttering to herself, Fayt held her hands out as energy began to shimmer in them. The Pillar still exuded tremendous energy, even after the draining Destine inflicted, a fact which became evident as some of the energy began to swirl and meld in front of her.

"Well, if I can't do it myself, looks like I'll have to do it the old-fashioned and clichéd way...even though that's not a whole lot of fun..."

* * *

[March 20, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 4-C | 10:01 AM]

* * *

I've been sitting in this classroom for the past 45 minutes or so, along with all of the other hopeful applicants that I saw during my entrance exam. When Yuna, Rikku, and I arrived on the second floor, we were greeted by a member of the faculty, directing us to separate classrooms based on the branch that we hoped to enter. Yuna and Rikku went to one room, while I came here.

I'm fairly sure that the twitchy feeling I'm having right now is a perfectly normal reaction to all of this.

"May I have your attention, please."

A figure walks into the room as the words are spoken, looking over all of us calmly. The figure is dressed in what appears to be a Trabian SeeD uniform, a dark blue suit and black shoes similar to Balamb's blue uniforms. What appear to be some sort of military ranking pips are displayed clearly on the shirt's left chest area, and teal lines accent the collar, bottom of the jacket, and around the edges of the sleeves.

"Applicants whose names are called, please follow me once all the names have finished being read."

If my heart wasn't already in my throat from just being in this room, it is now with those words from the faculty member. Silently, I stand against the wall, waiting as the list of names begins being called. Some of the applicants just smile, some pump their fists in excitement, and some seem like they're about to cry out of sheer joy. On the other side of things, however, are the ones who didn't make it. Some look disappointed, some angry...while some look as if they don't particularly care what the results are.

"Benji Powell."

Even as my name is called, I can feel one of the largest smiles I've ever had creeping across my face, but I don't show anything outwardly besides the smile. Reaching up to my neck, I take hold of the blue pendant hanging there, looking down at it with a smile.

"If you could see me now...if only you could be here to see this..." I murmur, letting the pendant drop and standing straight once again. My only thought now is whether everyone else made it in. Everything around me seems to mute as I think, lost in my own little world now because of what this one announcement now means to me. Even as the speaker finishes and people begin to leave the room, following the faculty member outside and down the hall, I simply fall in step behind them, still semi-oblivious to the happenings around me. In my mind, nothing can ruin this moment for me.

'_I did it. I'm a SeeD cadet.'_

* * *

[March 20, 2152 | Dollet, Chez Figaro | 11:42 AM]

* * *

A sole male figure sat quietly at a table inside Chez Figaro, looking over the room with something resembling disinterest.

"Even I'm not this late," the figure muttered, taking a sip of a glass of water in front of him. The room was full, the fairly high-class restaurant in Dollet being a popular place for middle-class, upper-class, and Dollet nobility alike. Exquisite, three tiered chandeliers were placed at several areas around the room's ceiling, reflecting the white light around the room and making the room appear to glow and shine as the light bounced off of the hanging glass.

The figure at the table seemed almost...out of place in the restaurant. His appearance was vastly different to most of the formally dressed patrons in the room, with a blue vest left open over a white shirt, matching blue pants held in place by a light brown belt, and dark brown boots on his feet. His blond hair was combed neatly, with a blue headband around his forehead and several longer strands of his hair dangling over the top of the headband. Overall, his appearance, while neat and well-suited to the outside of the city, seemed much different than the rest of the room full of suits, dresses, and other formalwear.

"I was starting to think you were going to walk out on me, Locke," Angel said suddenly, approaching the figure's table and taking a seat. "Sorry I'm so late."

Locke Cole, the treasure hunter from Terranigma himself, simply shrugged in response.

"I wasn't just going to walk out, you know. I know it's not like you to be late," he replied. "So, how'd things go between you and..."

"Ben."

"Ben, that's right. Well?"

"He's here," Angel replied.

"Here at the restaurant?" Locke asked, looking around at the seats nearby briefly.

"No, just here in Gaia. It didn't take me that long to track him down, and once he figured out what was going on, he didn't have much of a problem with coming."

"Yeah...what's so important about him being here, anyway?"

"Don't look at me. Freya just told me to find him, so I did. I guess she knows something we don't."

"Who's this 'Freya' you keep mentioning, anyway?" Locke asked Angel, taking another sip of his water.

"Just the creator of reality as we know it. Terranigma? Yeah, she made that," Angel replied with a small smirk. Locke coughed a moment later, wiping water from his mouth quickly and trying not to choke.

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you," he muttered, looking over at Angel.

"Nope."

"You know, you really shouldn't say things like that while I'm drinking something. You're gonna cause me to choke and end up being the death of me."

"Sorry. But you asked me, you know. What am I supposed to do, not answer?" Angel retorted, shrugging slightly in his chair.

"You could warn me! Say something like, 'Hey Locke, you might want to put the water down before I answer...', or take the glass out of my hands, or something!" Locke said. There was a smile on his face even as he said the words, though.

"I think watching the look on your face amuses me, really," Angel added. "So, I take it you've just been hanging around Dollet since I left?"

"Mostly," Locke answered, drinking more of his water. "Not a lot else I could do. This city seems to be the only one around out here."

"That's true. I do have an idea, though, if you're interested."

"I'm listening," Locke said, putting his glass back on the table.

"I'm going back to Trabia tonight. If you want, I'll buy you train tickets, and you can come back with me. Sound good?" Angel suggested, looking over at Locke for an answer. Locke didn't answer immediately, glancing around the restaurant silently as he thought the offer over.

"Alright, I'll go. Been wanting to get out more anyway."

"I doubt you're too happy staying around the same place for a long time. Think of it as a vacation," Angel said. "We'll see some sights, take some pictures, get some postcards...you know. The usual."

Locke chuckled a little, finishing his glass of water and placing the empty glass back on the table.

"Minus all the things you just said, right? Plus the whole 'getting ourselves in more trouble than we can possibly handle' thing?"

"Exactly. Sounds just like a normal vacation, if you ask me." Angel countered. Locke simply rolled his eyes.

"And I've been wondering all this time how you manage to get yourself into trouble..." Locke mused sarcastically. Angel gave a short chuckle at that before standing up from his chair, replacing it underneath the table.

"Anyway, I've got some things to take care of before I leave Dollet. We can catch the last train out of here tonight, and we'll be back in Trabia before tomorrow evening. Okay?"

"Got it," Locke replied, standing up and beginning to follow Angel out of the restaurant after leaving Gil on the table for the meal that he had barely eaten any of.

* * *

That's right, kiddies. Locke Cole is in the house. There's a reason this story is called Dimensional Legend. Locke is the exact same Locke from the FFVI storyline, as well. How and why he's here, as well as his association with Angel...well, that won't come for a while now. There's still plenty more storyline to go through before that gets revealed. As always, please read and review.


	24. I, II, X: The Dawn Of Wisdom, Part I

Here we are with what I would call a special chapter - the first multi-part section you'll see in this story. Usually, these will be reserved for end-of-arc fights, but will crop up for special events on occasion. This, to me, is one of those times. This chapter details the basis behind Alchemy, something that will play a role in almost everything from here on out, and so I felt that it deserved to be well-detailed, even if that meant splitting it up to keep the length around the same as my other chapters.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter X: The Dawn Of Wisdom, Part I_

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Celsius, Second Level, Ben's Room | 6:47 AM]

* * *

Seven o'clock in the morning.

To say that I'm a bit displeased with the time of my first class as a SeeD cadet is an understatement, really.

"Where are my _shoes_..."

Frantic, too, would be an understatement.

Grabbing a pair of shiny, black shoes, I tug them on quickly, before checking myself over in a mirror for a second. I'm dressed in what I can only assume is the standard SeeD cadet uniform, identical as far as I can tell to the ones used at Balamb Garden. The outfit itself is fairly simple, a navy blue dress shirt with golden designs near the collar and neckline, and a pair of navy blue slacks. I look just a moment longer to make sure everything looks neat, before grabbing a thick textbook, a notebook, pencil, and pen from a table beside me and running out of the door.

About ten seconds later, I come to the realization that I can, in fact, just teleport. Resisting the urge to smack myself in the head for forgetting, I concentrate, vanishing a moment later to reappear just inside the front gates of Trabia. The cold Trabian air fills my lungs as I look around, seeing nothing but students rushing to get to their classes or other assignments. Seconds later, I'm but another face in the crowd as I head for the second floor of Garden

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]

* * *

A single figure walked into the room before the Creator, the figure of the Pillar of the Future, kneeling before her quietly as he often did.

"Will. You have completed your mission to gather the Holy Stones?" Freya asked, standing from her throne.

"I have, my lady," he replied, holding out a hand. Light flickered around it before a dozen shining gemstones appeared above it, suspended in air and rotating slowly.

"Excellent. I shall handle things from this point," Freya told Will, who nodded. The gemstones floated slowly over to Freya as she exerted her power over them, remaining suspended in front of her as she held one hand up towards the twelve Holy Stones, the other raised into the air.

"Kingdom of heaven, kingdom of sky, release your powers and hear my cry. Power of light, spirits of old, return these Stones into your fold."

A shimmer of light began to overtake each of the Holy Stones in sequence, the colors matching the colors of each of the gems. As the last was bathed in light, small beams of energy began to extend from each of the gems, spiraling both above and below the Stones in a rough diamond shape with the Stones in the center. Suddenly, as the beams of light met at each point above and below the group of gems, a single beam of rainbow light extended back to the center from each endpoint, striking the gems with a brilliant flash.

As the light cleared, the Holy Stones were nowhere to be found, sealed once again by the power of the Ethereal Plane.

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 3-B | 6:57 AM]

* * *

As soon as I walk in the door, I can tell that this is going to be a vastly different experience than any schooling I may have had before.

Almost everyone that is going to be in the classroom is already here, it appears, and there's very little loud talking, instead more of a quiet, reserved attitude. I should have expected nothing less, really. Looking around the room, the only person I immediately recognize is Yuki, sitting silently in a desk near the upper-left part of the room. Quietly, I take a seat near the upper-right part, stifling a yawn and beginning to examine the electronic desk in front of me. It looks like a personal computer mixed with a full-sized desk, but far more advanced than any computer has a right to be. A keyboard is in front of me, built into the desk itself and looking like it's made of touch-panels, but no mouse is present, and I make an assumption that everything else must be touch-based. I'm about to experiment and test that theory, when...

"Good morning, everyone."

A familiar voice quashes that idea, and I look up again to see Katanas walk into the room, a textbook and folder in his hands, but nothing else. Moving to the desk at the front of the room, he flips open the book quickly, before looking up at us.

"Welcome to ALC 101: Introduction to Alchemy. I take it that most of you here are either Alchemy or Magic specialization students?"

Most people nod in agreement, but two or three shake their heads.

"Combat," one boy from the back of the room says, followed a minute later by a girl.

"General SeeD program."

No one else says anything, and Katanas nods, stepping out from the desk and in front of all of us.

"Well, then, I'll keep this brief. I'm Professor Katanas DeValle. You can all call me Katanas. I'm the head Alchemy instructor for Trabia Garden, as well as the SeeD Garden Commander."

No one says anything for a moment, and Katanas picks up the book on his desk again, leafing through it for a moment, before closing it.

"By the way, get a refund for those books," he continues, smiling. "I do things a bit...differently in this class. Here, I teach the practical aspects of Alchemy, the stuff you need in any given day-to-day situation. I do teach an Alchemy Theory course, but that's an advanced level class that will build off of what you learn here. Today, you will be learning about the major aspects of Alchemy, including the three central parts - Analysis, Deconstruction, and Creation - as well as the concept of equivalent exchange."

He pauses for a moment to compose his thoughts, before continuing.

"You'll also learn about the difference in quality between alchemizing using ingredients versus using your own spiritual energy. Even for experienced Alchemists, it's simply much more efficient and effective to use material. In a combat situation, of course, you generally don't get that luxury, but with sufficient skill and practice you learn to lessen the cost of mana per item created. Over the course of this class we'll also be going in-depth with basic, intermediate, and advanced potions, equipment, you name it, we'll cover it. I suggest you take careful notes and _study_ them, or you'll get left behind in this course. Any questions?"

No one says a word, causing him to chuckle a little.

"Alright then," he says, clasping his hands together. "Since we're all going to be here for the next few hours, why don't we get started by getting to know everyone. We'll go down the rows to keep it simple. Just stand and say your name and a little bit about yourself, if you don't mind. I'll start off, since I suggested it."

Katanas clears his throat quickly, before looking up at us with a fairly stern expression.

"I'm Katanas DeValle, and if you want to pass this course, I'll expect to see cheesecake on my desk every morning."

His face may be stern, but his eyes say that he's barely containing a fit of laughter. The rest of the class has no qualms about letting out a fit of chuckles and giggles.

"Who's next?"

I just watch silently as the first person in line stands up, stating their name and beginning to tell a bit about their background. The first few go by with relative calm, but as a young girl with dark hair stands up to speak I can hear several people around me speaking in quiet whispers, obviously about the girl in question.

"My name is Silvia Conrad. I'm 17 years old, and a native of Esthar. I came to Trabia for magic training, since my dad wanted to see me go here to learn and train. This is my first semester here, and I'm majoring in magic manipulation with a minor in alchemy."

The girl sits back down, and I return to a more apathetic expression, curiosity being put aside for the moment to hear the rest of the students speak. It takes several minutes, but finally the line comes around to me. Calmly, I stand up, looking around at the class for a moment before speaking.

"My name is Benji Powell, I'm 19 years old and I live all the way in Balamb. I came to Trabia for the Alchemy program they offer, and I'm currently majoring in alchemy with a minor in close-quarters combat."

Quickly, I sit back down, retaking my spot in order for the person behind me to speak. Before much longer, everyone in the class has introduced themselves, and Katanas nods approvingly.

"Well then, it looks like we can finally get started. Please open your textbooks to page twelve."

Doing so, I take a moment to glance down the page as Katanas continues.

"Here, you will find all the basic similarities and differences between alchemy and magic. For example, they are both fairly easy to learn to use, but difficult to master completely. Both work on the same principles, with mental energy being more important than physical energy in the use, as well as both being a lifelong study to master. However, there are a few key differences of which you must be aware.

Unlike magic, alchemy can't be used by just anyone. Magic has a use limit before requiring rest, whereas alchemy has no such restriction. Alchemy can bend and mend various principles of modern physics that magic can merely scrape at. Magic requires less finesse, but more skill. These distinctions _must _be remembered, or you risk confusing the two terms."

The noise of furious typing assaults my ears as I, along with the rest of the students, begin to take notes on Katanas' words. Moving up to his desk, Katanas takes out a small bottle from his pocket, a Potion, and sets it gently onto the desk before continuing.

"Now. As I stated before, there are three major parts to alchemy. These parts are, in general order of use, Analysis, Deconstruction, and Creation. We'll start with Analysis."

Picking up the Potion, he looks at the class for a moment.

"How many of you are familiar with this common item I'm holding?"

The entire class voices their acknowledgment, and Katanas nods.

"It's a Potion, used to heal fairly minor injuries. Pretty simple. Now, how many of you are familiar with the overall ingredients that go into making a Potion?"

Only a few people raise their hands, showing their knowledge of Katanas' question.

"Good. Now, for my last question...how many of you are familiar with the chemical composition of the basic elements in a Potion?"

The class remains completely silent.

Katanas smiles.

"Well, that's what we're going to be learning today as we learn about Analysis. Before we get started, however, I have one other thing to do. Each of you, from now until the end of the semester, will be working together with another person in groups of two. Starting from the first row, we'll make pairs in order until we come to the last person. In the past, I've found that it is easier to learn a complicated subject such as Alchemy when you have another watching you to point out and correct errors."

Katanas begins to point out each pair of names, and I look behind me as he comes to me, glancing at the person who is to be my partner. A somewhat older girl, appearing to be around 20, with long dark hair stretching down to the middle of her back, black eyes, and a pair of black sunglasses sitting on top of her head, is apparently the one who I'm to be partnered with.

"I'll give each of you a moment to speak with your new partners before I move on."

Leaning an arm on the back of my chair, I look behind me at the girl before speaking.

"Hey. Nice to meet you...Sephrenia, was it?," I say, causing the girl to nod.

"That is correct. And you are?" she asks, looking back at me with an apathetic expression.

"Benji. Just call me Ben," I reply, shrugging a little.

The girl simply nods, saying nothing more, and I turn back around to look at my book once again.

'_Guess she's not a people person.'_

"Now that we're all acquainted with one another," Katanas says a minute later, "we can get started with the next part of the class."

Quickly, I turn my attention back to Katanas, as he begins to lecture once again on the basic principles of alchemy.

"The first thing that you all must learn about alchemy is a concept that ranges from incredibly basic to incredibly complex. That concept is the drawing and utilizing of glyphs called transmutation circles."

Picking up several sheets of paper from the folder on his desk, he begins to pass them out, one per row.

"These are some examples of the most basic transmutation arrays. Memorize how these are created, because without them, alchemy is impossible."

The sheet of paper I'm handed has a design that I've never seen before - two concentric circles, with a diamond overlapping the inside circle, each point touching the outside circle, and a square within the diamond, with each edge touching the sides of the diamond. Examining it for a moment, I commit the design to memory as best I can, before passing the paper to Sephrenia.

"As I just mentioned, those are merely some of the basic arrays used for alchemy. The amount of possible arrays that can be used for alchemy are endless, varying widely between the types of tasks each array is used for. Those basic circles, however, will do everything that is required for this particular class."

Taking a sheet of paper from my notebook, I draw the design as neatly as I can on the sheet of paper to ensure that I don't forget it, before looking back up at Katanas.

"With that, we can now move on. Analysis is the first step in the process of alchemic transmutation, and is the simplest to learn to use. First, I want everyone to take a sheet of paper, and draw one of the transmutation arrays that you just saw on the paper as large as you can."

Using the array I just drew for reference, I take out another sheet of paper from the book, recreating the array over most of the paper this time.

"Next, I'm going to hand each of you a Potion. I want you to place it in the center of the array you just drew."

Beginning to move around the room, Katanas takes out Potions and begins to hand them out to the students in the class...or so I think at first glance. As he comes closer, I can actually see what he's doing. Even as I watch, orange light shimmers around Katanas' hand for a moment, concentrated on the white glove that he's wearing, before a Potion just seems to appear in his hand. He repeats this for everyone he passes, and soon, each of us are left with a Potion sitting on our papers.

"Something else that you must remember. Until you become proficient with Alchemy, you _must _touch the circle that you are performing a transmutation with. Otherwise, you will have no way to utilize the energy correctly, and the transmutation won't work. Now, I want you to place both hands on the circle. You really only have to use one hand, but using both hands makes it easier on beginners."

Quietly, the class does as instructed.

"I'm sure each of you is competent with the skill of casting magic. Well, the same idea applies here. I want you to focus your energy, but push it out into the array. While you do this, you need to have it in your mind what you want to accomplish with the array. Whether it's creating items from your own spiritual energy, or changing items into other items, you must know what you want to do with an array, or it will not work. It may even backfire on you if you aren't careful. For right now, I want you to think of knowing what the Potion is made of, what elements in what amounts make the Potion what it is, while you focus your energy into the array."

One of the students, a teenage boy with blond hair, raises his hand, speaking up as Katanas looks towards him.

"Katanas? Does this work similarly to Scan magic?"

"You could say that," he replies, looking over at the boy. "It provides different information about something than a Scan spell would, but the overall concept is much the same." A moment later, he looks back over the class.

"Now, I want you all to try it. Concentrate on finding out what the Potion is made of."

Looking down at the array, I place my hands upon the array as I begin to focus all the magical energy I can within myself, before mentally forcing it out towards my hands, the same way a spell is cast. All the while, I keep the thought in my head of figuring out what makes up the Potion on the circle. Nothing happens for a moment, but as more of the energy gathers, a yellow light flares up around the circle. Immediately, I can feel information flooding into my mind, telling me the chemical composition of the liquid mixture placed on the array. All the information makes me visibly blink for a moment, and I take the pen up with my right hand, writing down the information now running through my mind. All around me, I can see similar flares of light from the students, letting me know that their transmutations also worked.

"Good, very good. Analysis is the simplest of the three to pick up on. I want you to try it again in a moment, but this time, I'll be providing you with Megalixirs."

Walking around the room again, Katanas takes the Potion off of each student's array, before orange light shines around his hands again, morphing and warping the bottle and its contents. The bottle that he places back on the arrays for each of us this time is not a Potion, but a Megalixir.

"Do the same thing you just did to the Potion," he instructs. Quickly, I place my hands on the array once again, focusing my energy down into my hands just like before. Yellow light flares up around the circle once again, and I can feel another rush of information as the chemical composition of the Megalixir floods into my mind. Taking up the pen again, I write this composition down as well, before looking back towards Katanas.

"Very good," Katanas says, looking around the class with a look of satisfaction. "For the next few minutes, I'll be providing you with various items. I want you to write down the compositions of them. This information may seem trivial, but it may be of great use later, when you find yourself in need of items and have no exact materials available for creating them with."

As Katanas begins to move around the room again, picking up the bottles on our desk and changing them into other items, I get my pen and paper ready, knowing that I've got a long day ahead of me.

* * *

"Excellent work, all of you," Katanas says, moving back to the front of the room nearly an hour later. "I think that will do for now. We'll take a break for 15 minutes, so that you can get up and stretch, get something to drink, whatever you want. When we come back, I'll talk about Deconstruction and Creation alchemy before we wrap things up for the day."

Yawning a little, I look up at the clock on the wall, which says about a quarter to nine. The two hours or so I've spent in this class feel only like an hour or so to me, despite all the lecturing and work. Stretching, I stand up from the desk, leaving my pen, book, and notebook behind on my chair before walking out of the room, headed towards the nearest water fountain.

"So, what do you think of the class?" a voice from behind me says, causing me to turn and see Yuki standing near the door.

"I like it. This is definitely something I could get used to being able to do," I reply, before taking a sip from the fountain beside me. Yuki just smiles, nodding quietly.

"I'm looking forward to what we're going to learn later in this class, but right now, I'm going to get a snack. See you after class," she says, before walking off in the opposite direction.

Taking another sip from the fountain, I wipe a bit of water from my mouth before heading back into the classroom, ready to see what Katanas is going to teach us next.

* * *

This chapter was one of the most difficult I've written to date, as I had to make sure I got all of the principles of Alchemy correct so as to set the basis for Alchemy use throughout the rest of the story. The second part of this mini-event will detail the other parts of Alchemy and finish setting the basis, among other things. As always, please read and review.


	25. I, II, XI: The Dawn Of Wisdom, Part II

Welcome to the second part of the two-part mini-arc of sorts. This chapter will finish up the detailing of Alchemy, thereby setting the standard for all the Alchemy training to come. Strangely enough to me, I expected this chapter to be shorter than the other, but it ended up being longer by nearly two pages or so.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XI: The Dawn Of Wisdom, Part II_

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 3-B | 9:04 AM]

* * *

"Well, everyone's back on time, I see. Good to see some punctuality out of cadets for a change," he says, smiling a little and earning a few chuckles from the class. "Since we're all so attentive on our first day, we'll move right along."

Reaching into a pocket of his uniform, Katanas takes out another Potion, holding it up for the class to see.

"I'm sure you noticed me using my alchemy skills to create these earlier. The next logical step in alchemy, and also the next in line in terms of difficulty, is Deconstruction. This step, quite simply, involves imparting energy into the transmutation array not to identify an item, but to break the chemical and molecular bonds within an object. This allows you to either separate it back into base parts or to simply turn it into another form altogether. Base atoms would likely be the most commonly use form, outside of combat, for effectively discarding materials that would have no other use, even in alchemic reactions. In combat, however, a multitude of options may be applied. Deconstruct an item or weapon that was dropped by an enemy into base atoms to keep it from being used against you, deconstruct it and reconstruct it into something to your advantage, or even turn it into the very magical energy used to cast spells in order to replenish your own energy."

Blinking a little in surprise, I begin to take shorthand notes on what Katanas just said. I figured that many things could be done with the ability to break something down in this kind of manner, but I hadn't imagined something like turning into pure mana and using it to replenish your own.

"Now, I want you to take the item that's still on your desk and I want you to do the same thing you did for Analysis. This time, however, I want you to think about the item being broken down into base atoms rather than identifying them. A bit of warning, as well...this will make you feel quite a bit more tired than using Analysis."

Looking down at the item for a moment, I think carefully about how Katanas just explained the process, before putting my hands on the circle once again. The Ether on my desk is still sitting inside the circle, and so I begin to focus carefully, putting my energy into the transmutation array. This time, however, I'm focused mentally on breaking the Ether down into nothing but atoms, invisible to the eyes. Several seconds later, a bright yellow light flashes from the circle, and I have to close my eyes to avoid being blinded.

When I open my eyes a few moments later, the Ether is gone. And, true to Katanas' words, I'm feeling tired now, though not enough to make me fall asleep at my desk or anything.

"Well done, all of you," Katanas says, looking around the class at the successful transmutations. Some people, however, couldn't get their transmutations to work, and Katanas looks over at a few of them in turn. "If you couldn't get it to work, just try again. This is a more difficult concept to learn, and you aren't expected to get it right the first time."

Stepping back a bit, Katanas folds his hands behind his back.

"We'll take a few minutes in order for all of you to complete at least one transmutation, before moving on. This part goes hand in hand with Creation most of the time, and so I'm going to have you practice both parts together. Some say it's more difficult to teach, not to mention learn, but I believe that one becomes more proficient at the two arts faster by combining them and learning them in conjunction rather than having them taught separately and leaving it to the student to combine them."

Taking out a Potion from my pocket, I place it back on the circle before placing my hands on the circle as well. Focusing, I begin to channel my energy back into the circle, watching as the circle begins to shine, then flares with yellow light again. The Potion is gone when the light clears, and I smile, glad that I practiced magic so much with Yuna and Lulu a few months ago. It seems to be making the channeling of power much easier for me.

All around me, I can see more flares of light, and Katanas folds his arms in front of him, apparently pleased with the work we've done.

"Good work, all of you. Now that everyone has completed a Deconstruction transmutation, we'll move on to the third basic step of alchemy, and also the most difficult for beginners: Creation."

Katanas unfolds his arms at that, leaning back on the desk some.

"I'm sure no one needs any explanation as to what Creation does, so I'll move on to why and how you would use it. Creation is quite possibly the most applicable of the alchemic arts, provided you are aware of your surroundings. With keen use of Analysis, Creation can be used to make rare materials that may otherwise be extremely hard to come by. You can also use Creation to reconstruct materials that were used in a failed or flawed transmutation, thereby saving materials for use once again. Take care, however, as too many transmutations upon materials may permanently flaw their characteristics, or make them unstable and useless. For example, you may deconstruct and recreate a sword's blade several times, but each time, the sword may lose some of its edge or luster."

Quickly, I file that note away in my notebook for future reference as Katanas continues.

"Creation is the most draining of the three basic concepts of alchemy, as well. Beginners won't be able to do more than one or two transmutations at a time before requiring rest, but as you use alchemy, just like magic, it becomes easier. The more you exercise your mental ability to do alchemy, the more you will be able to use it, similar to how exercising your body gives you more stamina to run, climb, and perform other tasks."

Katanas' words about the mental training for alchemy make sense to me, as I experienced a similar mental training before the SFA Grand Championship. With Yuna and Lulu's help, I learned not only to cast spells that I had lost the capability to cast, but I became able to cast more spells at higher power levels simply by increasing the amount of mana I was mentally able to focus and store.

"There are two main ways to create items for alchemy, and you will use both in this class. The first is through materials. Using Analysis, you may find items containing ingredients that are usable in another item you may want, before using Deconstruction to separate them into those ingredients and then reconstructing them into the item that you desire. Alternatively, there is another way."

Katanas moves away from the desk, folding his hands behind his back.

"Alchemy works through the principle of equivalent exchange - the primary law that governs all alchemic transmutations. Equivalent exchange states that "in order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost." Your output has to be of similar mass and materials to what you started with, as well as having related base elements. You can't take something obscure such as a tire and turn it into a fence, for example. There are some ways of getting around this, however. Mana - the spiritual energy that enables us to use magic – is a malleable enough force usable in alchemic transmutations. You can substitute differing amounts of your own mana for materials in a transmutation, thereby creating items from nothing but your own spiritual energy. However, it is far less efficient to use mana for transmutations, at least until you are very experienced in the alchemic arts. Also, the amount of mana used has a great effect on the quality of the object – and this is very important, because you _can_ have too much of a good thing, just as you might not have enough."

Quirking an eyebrow, I jot down notes about what Katanas just said, being careful to write down the law of equivalent exchange, before looking back up.

"There is one other way of bypassing the law of equivalent exchange, and that is by using a special alchemic item called the Philosopher's Stone. The Stone harnesses raw energy for use in alchemy, substituting part of its energy in transmutations. This forces you to give up nothing but the energy within the Stone itself. However, with use, the Stone gradually degrades, becoming useless, even as jewelry."

'_Philosopher's Stone...that was what alchemists in the early years of Earth wanted to create as part of the elixir of immortality...'_

"Now, what I want you to do is this. Working with your partners, each of you will practice Deconstruction and Creation alchemy in tandem. One will create an item, and the other will deconstruct it. For now, I want you to practice using your own spiritual energy to create items, as I didn't bring anything with me today for you to use. Focus your energy the same way you did for Deconstruction, but imagine an item being created from your energy instead of being destroyed. You'll have the rest of the period, about an hour, to work on this, so I suggest-"

A knock on the door cuts Katanas off, and he looks over at it with curiosity.

"Come in."

The door opens a moment later, letting a young boy, with slightly spiked brown hair and dressed in a Trabian SeeD uniform, no older than about 12 or 13, into the room. He quickly walks up to Katanas, speaking calmly but urgently.

"Um, mister Commander Professor Katanas, sir? There's been a disturbance by the front gates and mister Headmaster Senior wants classes out, the cadets secured, and all available SeeD members on high alert."

Katanas frowns at this before nodding, all business.

"Thank you, Ein. I'll be up to the third floor soon."

The boy, Ein, nods again, before walking out as quickly as he came. A moment later, the entire Garden seems to rumble and shake just slightly, as if an earthquake tremor had occurred nearby.

"Okay, everyone, it looks like class is over for today. I want all of you to report to your dormitories or a nearby designated classroom until instructed otherwise. Garden officers will make sure that the floor is secure and no cadets are to leave until this disturbance is dealt with."

With no further prompting, all of us stand up and begin to head out the door before a thought races through my mind, filling me with dread.

'_The front gates...that's near where the Celsius is...Rikku!'_

Quickly splitting myself away from the crowd of cadets, I bolt off, running around a corner and making sure that no one around is watching, before warping away silently.

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Gates | 9:28 AM]

* * *

A moment later, I reappear outside of Trabia's front gates, where a group of four SeeDs are wielding weapons at...something. I don't recognize the breed of fiend, but it appears to be some kind of devil-esque demon, easily eight or nine feet in height, with a fairly muscular build and black, curved horns extending back over its head. The odd feature about the fiend is the six tentacles that I quickly recognize as belonging to a Malboro fiend, sprouting from the middle of the fiend's back and hovering around him like snakes poised to strike. Immediately, I change back into my Blade Knight dressphere, my SeeD uniform vanishing to be replaced by my familiar blue and white garb.

The sight of the other threat standing next to the fiend makes my blood run cold. The familiar form of a young girl.

Fayt.

"Well, well, Emissary. So you decided to show your face out here," Fayt says, giggling. "You're more stupid than I anticipated."

"You shouldn't underestimate me," I shoot back. "That's a dangerous thing to do, after all."

My thoughts wander momentarily to why Fayt just called me "Emissary," before I put them aside for now and take out one of my swords, holding it down beside me.

Fayt just smiles, and it almost makes me flinch at how...evil it looks.

"Daeva. Kill the SeeDs, and then kill the Emissary. I've got my own business to attend to."

Without another word, Fayt is gone, and the Daeva spins back to the SeeDs before I can do anything.

"Flare!"

A white hot beam of fire blazes from the Daeva's hands, engulfing all four of the SeeDs before they can react and burning them severely, their agonized screams echoing across the area as they hit the ground, either dead or badly wounded. My eyes widen in shock as the Daeva turns to me, smiling sadistically.

"Now for you, Emissary."

My eyes narrow, and I bring my sword in front of me in a horizontal guard. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see several more SeeDs running in to get their comrades out of the area.

"Not today, demon."

_(Play: Dancing Rhapsody - Norikazu Miura, Suikoden V)_

The next instant, I'm racing towards the Daeva, sword cleaving across in a brutal arc that the Daeva smashes down with a clawed hand, lashing out at me a split-second later with the other. Leaping back, I stab out again, another deflected attack, before spinning and launching a kick at the Daeva's ribs that connects. The thing doesn't even flinch, though, and it feels like I just kicked a solid wall.

The Daeva lashes out again then, a brutal punch that knocks the wind out of me and sends me hurtling back onto the ground, skidding to a stop. Blinking, I get back to a kneeling position, just in time to leap backwards as a Firaga crashes into the ground where I was just at. A retaliatory Blizzaga spell from me rushes at the fiend, crashing into its face and stunning it for just a brief instant - which, really, is all the time I need.

"Crescent Strike!"

Lashing out hard with my sword, a red energy wave flies towards the fiend, who brings the six tentacles on its back in front of it, blocking the wave of energy with little effort. The fiend chuckles at that, almost seeming to be mocking me as the tentacles spread out once again.

"This is the mighty Emissary? Surely you can do better than this."

Growling, I focus my energy, calling up a more powerful spell.

"Fine," I mutter, holding a hand up towards the sky. "Holy!"

The sun overhead begins to shine more brightly for just a brief instant, clouds parting overhead...before nine beams of intense light rocket down, smashing into the Daeva and engulfing the entire area around it in Holy-elemental power. The demon's roar of pain is almost music to my ears, and I carefully walk closer to the Daeva, preparing to attack again.

I'm not quite prepared for the Daeva to lunge forward at me, sharpened tentacles lashing out ferociously.

One spikes into the ground in front of me as I jerk back on instinct, then dive aside as a second spears the dirt. Flipping backwards and then rolling back even more, I dodge the third and fourth tentacles as they come down before standing and cutting the tip off of the fifth, just before the sixth comes in behind it and smashes into my ribs, throwing me through the air hard as my midsection explodes in agony.

"And so ends the mighty Emissary," the creature spits, tentacles raising up over its head for a final strike before I can get up.

"Scatterburst!"

A veritable shotgun-blast of pistol rounds blow the creature back an instant later, right before another figure leaps into view in front of me, a sword enchanted with Holy energy carving a deep gash across the demon's side and stomach to further wound it. Paine turns around to face me as the demon recoils in pain from the sudden attacks, holding a hand out to me.

"Looks like you could use some help."

"Yeah...thanks," I say, taking her hand and pulling myself to my feet before casting a small Cure spell over myself to dull the aching in my chest. "Where's Rikku?"

"Still in class," I hear Yuna say from behind me. "We had a different class time than she did, so she's probably still inside the Garden."

"Good," I say, breathing a slight sigh of relief. "For now, though, I say less talking, more killing."

"Works for me," Paine mutters, raising her sword again as she gets ready to strike.

"Miasma!"

The demon's shout preempts a wave of green gas that blasts from its hands, rolling over the area like fog and forcing us to shield our mouths and noses from the obviously-poisonous substance.

None of us expected the fog to be poisonous to the touch, however.

All three of us drop to the ground as the poison burns at our very skin like fire, the demon merely standing and smirking at our situation.

"You girls should never have interfered. Piercing Graviga!"

A moment later, a crushing force slams into our backs from above, forcing us to the ground as we struggle to counteract the poison. Managing to grab a Remedy from my pocket, I down the bitter-tasting liquid, before standing up and casting Esuna on Yuna and Paine…even as the creature prepares another spell. Paine looks thoroughly angry now at being bested so easily, and her blade begins to glow with a deep white light once again as she lunges out at the creature in a hard stab. The beast is forced to cancel its spell to twist around the attack, and Paine immediately turns her momentum into a sweeping chop that cuts a tentacle in half as the creature tries to defend. Letting out a screech of pain, the demon lashes out at Paine with the other tentacles, knocking her back and giving it a moment to recover.

But Yuna would have none of that.

"Scatterburst!"

Another powerful, shotgun-like blast of bullets blows the creature several steps back from the impact. Paine's next strike is right on the mark, tearing a gash across its right shoulder and severing the Daeva's entire right arm. The howl of agony from the creature is deafening, and all five remaining tentacles lash around violently, knocking Paine away again to roll across the ground.

"I'd love to have some Aura magic right now," I mutter, focusing intently as I get ready to attack. "Flare!"

Leveling a palm at the creature, I blast a searing beam of energy that engulfs the Daeva, burning and roasting its body with Non-Elemental flames and causing the wails of pain to only increase in intensity, before a barrage of bullets begins to smash into its skull, courtesy of Yuna. The beast finally slumps to the ground, heavily injured and bleeding from a multitude of cuts, not to mention the bloody stump that remains of its right arm.

"You...won't survive...much longer, Emissary..." the Daeva snarls, looking up at me weakly, its tentacles now drooping on the ground.

"We'll see," I simply reply, smirking back at the creature.

A moment later, Paine's sword sweeps across again, the head of the Daeva falling neatly from the rest of its body and landing on the snow-covered plains. The creature's body begins to shine, dissipating into particles of energy that begin to float up towards the sky as Paine walks back over to the two of us.

_(End: Dancing Rhapsody - Norikazu Miura, Suikoden V)_

"Thanks," I say, looking over at my two friends before sheathing my sword. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't worry about it," Paine says, looking back at where the creature was a moment ago. "So, what was that, anyway?"

"Fayt called it a Daeva...but we've seen Daeva fiends before, and I never saw any with tentacles growing out of their backs, did you?"

"Not that I know of," Yuna chimes in, her pistols now holstered. "Why was it after you?"

"Apparently, Fayt really wants to see me dead, but doesn't want to do it herself," I reply, shrugging.

"Why does she want you dead?" Yuna asks, blinking a little.

"Because I meddle," I say with a smile.

Yuna just shakes her head.

"We should probably get back to Garden. They should lift the alert soon, so we can get back to class," I continue, looking between Yuna and Paine.

"You go ahead," Yuna says. "Our class isn't for another hour or two yet."

"Lucky...you two got the mid-afternoon class while I got stuck with the early bird special here..." I mutter, shaking my head and causing Yuna to giggle. "Anyhow...okay, then. I'll see you two later," I say, changing out of my Blade Knight dressphere to reappear in my SeeD uniform, before waving and heading back towards Garden.

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 8-A | 9:31 AM]

* * *

Trabia Garden's policy on alerts was simple. There were designated "safe rooms" for cadets to be taken to in case of emergency, if the dormitories could not be reached or were farther away than the safe rooms in question. All SeeD officers would be put on immediate high alert for threats against the Garden, and cadet safety was a priority.

Rikku, in the middle of class when the alert was issued, found herself in one of the classrooms that had been locked down and now protected by three SeeD members. One of them was the instructor that had been teaching, and the other two were SeeD members both at the rank of Lieutenant, a mid-level rank in the SeeD branch. Fairly good protection against most things, especially in normal situations.

However, when you're dealing with a Pillar of Reality, "normal" takes a vacation.

The door to the classroom opens suddenly, sliding away to reveal the child-like form of Fayt as she walks slowly and quietly into the room. Rikku watches for a moment, then suppresses the urge to let out a squeak as she recognizes the childish goddess from earlier. She looks around for help, trying to find some other way out...

Before she realizes that not only was the only door behind Fayt, but that every other person in the room had been Stopped.

"Oh, calm down," Fayt says with a sigh, glancing over at the teen girl. "I'm not going to hurt you. All you hero-types are so paranoid..."

"...Then-"

"You're just going to help me with something," Fayt says, cutting Rikku off. She raises a hand towards Rikku, and purple rings of energy begin to surround her, encircling her body and keeping her from moving. "It's so hard to find good help these days."

Immediately, Rikku's head begins to droop, energy leaving her body and making her feel faint as Fayt's spell begins to take effect. Trying to move, she finds herself unable to, the Pillar's spell easily many times more powerful than her own will to defend against it. As her eyes close, the final parts of her will to stay awake leaving her, the last words she hears are from Fayt, even as the child-like entity leaves the room.

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist...but you have ceased to live."

* * *

Fayt's little quote at the end is a quote from Mark Twain, for the curious.

With this chapter comes the end of the major explanation of Alchemy. There will be more explanations of pieces of Alchemy, similar to how the classroom scenes here went, later on as Ben and Yuki begin to advance to higher levels of Alchemy study. Elemental Alchemy, more complex background and techniques for general Alchemy, and advanced magical techniques are just some of the things that will eventually be covered and introduced.

One more note that occurred to me while I was writing this chapter. Since I am doing a rewrite of Destiny's Call, I am going to be changing some things in that story - one of which is the series of Overdrive skills that I use in that story. I will be using those skills in this story as well, of which there are three: Spark Waltz, Dragon Dance, and Lightning Waltz. (For those of you who have played Xenosaga 3, you should recognize these three techniques. Thanks to a reviewer for the idea of using these three skills.) Just a minor note for anyone who may be concerned as to how and/or where I learned these skills. The continuity is being based from the rewrite, as nothing major will change for my techniques in Eternal Requiem.

As always, please read and review.


	26. I, II, XII: Interdiction

Well, first new chapter of 2008 here, I suppose. Took quite a while, at any rate. Enjoy.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XII: Interdiction_

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 10:07 AM]

* * *

Ein Beoulve thought that if he heard one more 'tap' from the shoe of the person currently waiting to see Katanas DeValle he just might have to say something. Just too bad for him, really.

Mystique simply wasn't a very patient person.

"I've been waiting fifteen minutes now," Mystique muttered, partially to Ein, partially to no one in particular. "How much longer is it going to be?"

"...I'm sorry, but the rules are the rules," Ein said after a moment, seemingly unsure if he really wanted to speak at all. "Katanas-sama is already speaking with someone on important matters. You'll just have to wait your turn, ma'am."

Mystique just shook her head in annoyance, her foot continuing to tap on the marble floor. A moment later, however, a small light on the panel in front of Ein blinked, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Katanas-sama will see you now," he said to Mystique, seemingly glad to be rid of the noise of her impatient tapping.

Mystique simply smiled, standing up and sauntering over to Ein before putting a finger under his chin.

"Such a good little boy you are, following orders and being helpful," she said, smiling in a way that made Ein's face go a light shade of red. "I'll make sure I ask Katanas to reward you for your diligence."

A moment later, she approached the door to the office, the automated door sliding open in front of her, then sliding shut a moment later to leave a now heatedly blushing Ein alone outside.

"Y-You're welcome, scary lady," he murmured, before turning his attention back to his work.

The Trabian SeeD Commander, seated behind his desk, looked over towards Mystique as she entered the office, making a gesture for her to take a seat in the room. Quickly, he reached over to straighten some of the scattered papers on his desk before addressing Mystique.

"I apologize for the wait, but I had to take a call from the Akatosh Chantry. Obviously, I can't tell you all the details, but it had something to do with an ex-Trabian SeeD who joined their ranks fairly recently," he explained. Mystique simply gave a faint smile, taking a seat in one of the chairs near the desk.

"They and I have an...interesting track record," she said after a moment. "So, what did you call me here for? Certainly not to simply exchange tidbits of information on a religious foundation?"

"Ah, of course not," he remarked. "I was more concerned about a matter that the head of the Thieves Guild might be able to clear up."

"_Royal_Thieves Guild," she corrected, leaning forward slightly and smiling with all the niceness of a hawk given fresh prey. "Alright, I'll bite. What can I 'clear up' for you?"

The barest hint of a smirk crossed Katanas' face.

"I'm curious as to what Conrad Synthetics would want with Zodiac Stones. Holy Stones at that, if you follow the story behind it."

Mystique's mask of emotion fell for just a brief instant as Katanas spoke, but she quickly stiffened her expression again. The rest of her body language, however, clearly showed that she was agitated by the question.

"I'd ask how you could have come across such a flight of fancy, but I've heard talk that you know everything. Of course," she said, winking at Katanas, "I know better." Katanas' only response is a light chuckle.

"We've known each other for...how long, now?" he asked Mystique, who gave no response. "Seems the old tricks won't work on me anymore. Just what is Conrad up to, Mystique?" he asked, his fingers interlacing.

Mystique made no motion to answer immediately, but sighed as she continued to look at Katanas.

"He was searching for the Stones in the hopes of selling them for some huge profit - apparently, he's got some big-time dealer lined up for the sale. At least, that's what he's using for a cover story. I think it goes deeper than that, and the corporate partnerships he has made so far suggest the same. There's speculation that he's working with Vector Industries, that big military tech company in Esthar, on some huge project, but it's all rumors so far - nothing definitive."

Katanas remained quiet for a moment, digesting the information that Mystique had just given him, before he let out a soft sigh and pressed a button on his desk.

"It seems things are going a bit faster than I anticipated. By the Balance..." he muttered, as the light on his console flashed green.

"Yes, sir?" Ein's voice chimed in, coming from his desk outside.

"Inform my father that I'm leaving. Zeo Conrad and I will be discussing the merits of a...merger, you might say," he said.

"Right away, sir," Ein said, before the line closed. Katanas stood up without a word, stepping over to Mystique, who also stood.

"After you," he said, sweeping a hand out in a friendly gesture.

"You're too kind," Mystique said, a mimic of Katanas' earlier near-smirk crossing her face as the two exited the office.

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Knight's Hall, Training Grounds | 10:07 AM]

* * *

"Home sweet home."

Those were the first words out of Andréa Beoulve's mouth as she walked into one of the expansive training grounds of Knight's Hall. It had been a long time since she had stepped foot in Gaia. Her home village, Arias, lay within the northeastern Estharian Mountains. It was there that she grew up with her mother and younger brother, Ein Beoulve, but it never felt like _home_. Even with characters like Tetsuya and his younger sister around, the village never felt like more than a place to live for Andréa.

It didn't take her long before she ran away. Months later, after surviving the long trek through the mountain range, she found herself at the gates of Trabia Garden. The next seven years of her life were spent training to become, eventually, a SeeD.

She had never felt more at home than when she was at Garden.

Her time spent in Spira had been useful, however, just as Katanas had predicted. While her official assignment was to gather information in Spira itself, Katanas had prepped her to expect a number of "potentials."What she hadn't expected was for him to be right about every single one, down even to the Powell kid.

The SFA Grand Championship had been a fantastic challenge for her. The many combatants who had entered had put up a fierce fight, much higher than her initial expectations had been. Her final battle against Ben was nothing short of fierce confrontation, and she looked forward to another one like it. One in which, of course, she would win.

Smiling softly to herself, she looked around, hoping to find a familiar face before she reported to Katanas and began the long and tedious duty of filling out her paperwork. Things had changed, including herself.

Her outfit had changed completely since the tournament; she now wore a flowing brown and tan oriental-style sleeveless shirt and skirt combo, both lightly decorated in ornate jewelry. Strapped to her back was a wicked-looking scythe, her katana and wakizashi nowhere to be seen. Along her arms, shoulders, legs, and neck were extensive shaman-like tattoos, but the most unusual change was that most of her head was now hooded. Only her nose, mouth, and cheeks were visible, leaving her effectively blind.

Seeing, or rather sensing, no one nearby, she began to walk towards Garden. Her stride was still confident and balanced, even without the use of her eyes to guide her. While her vision may have been impaired by the hood she now wore, she had trained her other senses to make up for the deficiency. She didn't make it far before she stopped, turning her head to the left slightly.

"I'm blind, not deaf. Please, show yourself. You don't need to hide," she spoke softly. A moment passed in silence before the air moved just slightly, the only warning as a blur of black and red holding a pair of daggers leapt to the attack from above her.

She spun quickly, whipping her scythe from her back to parry the attack deftly and knock her opponent back as she herself leapt back a distance. The barest hint of a smile was visible as she made a sweeping low-cut with the blade, attempting to catch her assailant as they landed. And indeed, they did land - right onto the flat of the scythe's blade, Andréa's junction-enhanced strength holding both scythe and assailant in the air.

In response, she let the scythe drop, lifting a hand in the process before blasting her attacker from near point-blank range with Thundaga magic. She smirked with satisfaction as the attacker flew away, landing with a pained grunt on the dirt in front of her. Taking up a relaxed battle stance, she waited, listening for any sign of motion, feeling the air for any vibrations from sudden movement. She wasn't disappointed as the figure got up sluggishly, brushing himself off and sighing.

"Okay, so you're faster, but I think the lightning was a bit over the top."

Andréa smiled more fully, replacing her scythe and bowing gracefully. "Is that you, Dias? As much a troublemaker as ever, I see."

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," the figure, a young boy, replied. "The greatest thief of all time, Alva Dias Vincent!" the boy said proudly, thumbing his nose. Looking no older than twelve or thirteen, he wore indigo blue shorts that fell to his knees, a black undershirt and charcoal-colored vest, black shoes, and a red bandanna that revealed several thick tufts of spiky, dark purple hair framing his face. "I just thought I'd play greeting party. And try to steal your new stuff, of course," he continued, beaming.

Andréa just shook her head and chuckled. "Well then, little thief, lead on."

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Gates | 10:19 AM]

* * *

As soon as the duo reached the gates of Garden, Dias split off from Andréa, likely to cause mischief somewhere else. The first thing Andréa noticed as she approached was the state of high alert, the sounds of boots crunching snow and orders being given coming from in front of her. The second thing she noticed was a distinct smell - the smell of death. Accenting that were the many SeeD officers at the gates, seven of which were in the process of carrying away three body bags from the scene. As she presented her SeeD ID card to a Captain on the scene that stopped her, she could see several other officers and SeeDs recalling events to the highest ranking person on the scene - Albel Nox. Snow crunched underneath Andréa's feet as she approached the General of the Sphere in hopes of finding out details of just what was going on.

"Sir, what happened here?" Andréa asked, saluting Albel as she approached. Albel glanced at the bodies being carried off before turning his gaze to Andréa.

"Some maggot attacked the front gate. Fiend managed to kill three SeeDs stationed there; a fourth just barely survived. Only a few people saw what happened after that, but apparently some fool decided to try and take the thing on alone, and nearly got himself killed if not for two other cadets. They did kill the worm, though, and will be questioned about it as soon as things are finished here," Albel replied, his tone one somewhere between boredom and irritation.

"The surviving SeeD?" she questioned.

"Critical condition in the infirmary, severe burn wounds."

"Fire magic?"

"Bystanders said it was Flare."

Andréa resisted the urge to grimace.

"I see...orders, sir?"

"I have no orders at the present time. Dismissed," Albel said, causing Andréa to nod and begin to head inside Garden as Albel turned his attention back to the task at hand.

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Esthar, Hokkaido Museum, Royal Thieves' Guild | 11:04 AM]

* * *

The hideout of the notorious band of thieves known only as the Royal Thieves Guild, in reality, wasn't really "hidden" from anything. On the contrary, it was actually in plain sight.

The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Esthar. A prestigious and conveniently located museum accessible to the general public, for a small fee...and yet, simply a front for one of the best-organized criminal organizations in Esthar. While the Royal Thieves Guild may lack in overall size compared to other organizations, it more than made up for it in efficiency, discretion, and most importantly, connections in all the right places.

Wilhelm of Vector Industries, Takomashi U'dashika of Videlic Arms, Zeo Conrad of Conrad Synthetics. The very best the business world had to offer.

Darius DeValle, Sr. of House DeValle, Vinzer Deling, Jr. of House Deling, Shiro Matsuda of the Green Dragon sect of the Hachikyuusan, Nicholai Seer of the Anarak Syndicate. The very best the criminal world had to offer.

A cloaked figure stepped lightly into the main entranceway, quickly and politely showing the receptionist at the desk a card. The receptionist nodded, motioning to the figure quietly to proceed, which they did with barely a nod as acknowledgment. Making their way to the elevator, the figure entered with a host of others, the elevator quickly and silently making its trip up to the fourth floor, where the figure departed along with several other passengers. However, unlike the others who entered the floor, the figure took a turn into a back hallway with a single door labeled "Employees Only." Ordinarily, nothing about this action would raise suspicion.

However, on the other side of the door wasn't a room...but a hallway with yet another door. One with a tall, heavily built and incredibly imposing man guarding it that the figure knew only as "The Doorman."

Without a word, the figure removed their cloak, revealing a head full of white hair that hangs down in front of their face, and a smile that gives their face and facial structure itself the look of a fox. A white scarf around his neck, decorated yellow and brown sleeveless shirt, brown knee-high boots and cloth gauntlets finished off the attire of the man known as Seeker.

"You've returned, Fox-Face," the man said to Seeker, nodding lightly. "Was your mission a success?"

Grin widening at the nickname, Seeker nodded quickly.

"It really was like taking candy from a baby, although the lead on the Stones turned up false. But what I do know will make the Boss very happy."

The "Doorman" nodded also, contemplating something before he responded.

"Lady Mystique seems a bit off lately. Be careful with the news you impart upon her."

Seeker remained quiet, mulling over the man's words - he knew that if it was one thing the man could be counted on for, other than being good at his job, it was his honest ability to read people.

* * *

Minutes later, after more exchanging of small talk with the "Doorman," Seeker entered the elevator behind him, inserting a card into a small slot in the panel beside the door and descending to the subterranean level.

The operation run by the Royal Thieves Guild was headed by Mystique, often referred to simply as "Boss." She ran a tight ship, one of the many reasons why such an otherwise small and innocuous group as the Guild was able to prosper thus far. Seeker exited the elevator after it slowed to a stop in the bottom-most level, looking out into the basement level before heading towards the other side and a door that lay there. Only two other members of the Guild were there presently, he noticed as he walked.

Lancer, an Earth Alchemist of stature rivaling the Doorman's, was shadowboxing in a spacious section of the room, his immense height and muscular frame not seeming to slow his movements down in the least. Frosty, a Flame Alchemist of a suitably frigid demeanor, however, was lazily tossing a small ball of flame up and down in the air while seated in another part, her face the picture of absolute boredom.

Ignoring the two for the moment, Seeker made his way through the expansive basement level, moving through several desks and chairs, a locker room, a makeshift barracks and armory section, a kitchen, and a moderately-sized library before reaching the door that led to Mystique's office. Rapping on her door, he waited patiently for confirmation to enter before opening the door, his smile perfectly in place.

Mystique was sitting in a plush nook of the office as he entered, thoughtfully peering at what might've appeared to be a large window at first glance - if not for the fact that quite obviously, there were no windows this far down. Rather, it was a multi-panel television of sorts, one of the best in Esthar.

"Report," she said, without looking up at Seeker.

"It's true," Seeker replied, nodding curtly. "All of the Holy Stones are gone. It seems that someone managed to swipe them all when we weren't looking. If I might make a recommendation...?"

Mystique turned to face Seeker, something akin to a blank expression across her features.

"Saying 'no' has never stopped you before, has it?"

Seeker's grin grew slightly.

"Afraid not."

Mystique rolled her eyes, but motioned for him to continue.

"I think that we should call off this deal with Conrad. Outside of the immediate issue of not being able to deliver the goods, the Stone that I did manage to get him was quickly and easily taken from him a day later by Senior. I get the feeling that those two don't like each other very much, and I would very much like not to be caught up in that."

Mystique nodded slightly, tapping her chin with her index finger, before nodding again.

"I'll inform Conrad that the deal's off and reimburse him...some of his money," she said, prompting Seeker to chuckle softly. "Now, about the children you fought to get the Sagittarius Stone."

Seeker took a moment to compose what he recalled of his encounter before speaking.

"There were three of them, two girls and a boy. The first girl seemed...short-tempered. She liked fire," he said bluntly, pausing momentarily. "The other girl I found very agitating, mostly due to her competence. She used Phantasm Magic on me, or at least tried to at any rate. The boy also seemed quite competent. He used Symbology and Ninjutsu against me, as well as doing something to his eyes. I didn't notice any real advantages, however."

"...We'll keep our eyes on them," Mystique said after a long pause. "Word is they're looking for you - we can use that to our advantage. They may have useful information, perhaps other valuables. If not, they're good sport."

If anything, Seeker grinned more, before his expression moved to one of more seriousness. "One more thing, if I may?"

Mystique had already turned away from Seeker, distracted by something on one of the panels of the television. She jumped slightly as she felt Seeker's hand on her shoulder, glancing up to see him standing over her.

"Whatever it is that's botherin' you, don't keep it all in. We're all in this together. Least, that's what I keep tellin' myself. For you 'ta be worried like this must mean it's big, whatever it is."

Mystique noticed belatedly how he had slipped out of his normal, professional accent, but didn't comment on it.

"The Inquisitor contacted me, shortly after Katanas did," she said, sighing and rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Big things are about to go down. The order is to hold up on the heists, see where things go. We're pretty squared away, so don't look at me like that," she added a moment later, looking at Seeker's expression.

"You're the boss," he replied, a toothy grin back on his face. Mystique's grin a moment later easily matched his, for once.

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

[March 21, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Darius DeValle's Room | 3:51 PM]

* * *

It had only been a few days since Darius and Silvia had enjoyed a meal at the Café du Nord, but since then and now, he mused, a lot had happened. Most predominantly, the recent attack on Garden. However, Darius knew that before that Silvia had spent a little time talking to various cadets and SeeD members, getting a feel for Garden as a whole, picking up fresh gossip and news...and maybe a few phone numbers.

Never hurt to have a friend inside Garden. At least, that was _her_ story.

After the attack, she had spent a little bit of time calling up some friends, setting up dates, and getting an idea of just who or what had attacked and who had beaten them. According to eyewitnesses, a little girl and a pet monster unlike any SeeD had encountered before were the ones who struck. If the stories were to be believed, three cadets fresh out of training had taken the monster down after the girl had just...vanished.

After cross-referencing what she knew with what she didn't between as many people as she could, she had left to go see the cadets for herself.

Darius, on the other hand, already knew who was behind the attack. That wasn't easy knowledge to come by, especially since the only one who really knew was Katanas. His older brother must've been in a good mood, because he divulged the name and more. Idly, he glanced down at the notes he'd taken.

**Fayt: Pillar of Reality, solely responsible for guiding the fate of all beings stationed below her position. Seems to have a grudge against SeeD Cadet Benji Powell; is extremely dangerous.**

He had other notes, some of them describing the other Pillars and a little bit more about the realm they resided in - the Ethereal Realm - but he decided that he'd read those more carefully later. He had other things to do.

Darius had also kept a close eye on Silvia as she talked to people the previous day and earlier today, noting who she was meeting and who she had contact with during her outings. He then made sure that each one of them knew whom she was, whom her friends were, and what they were and weren't allowed to tell her. He had a plan...and it needed to go off without a hitch, no matter what.

Folding the piece of paper, he stuffed it back into a pocket of his pants before starting to grab several things from his room. His rifle, signature pistols, and other miscellaneous items found their way onto his person, in either holsters or a small bag, before he moved over to his desk. Removing the same wooden box that contained the Aries Holy Stone, he opened it and pocketed the Stone before replacing it into the drawer of his desk.

'_Everything is fitting in where it should,'_ he thought to himself. Silvia would be meeting Ben and his group of miscreants, and he would be able to sneak out of Garden and wait for Fayt's next arrival.

The game was afoot...and he had all of the pieces.

* * *

Special thanks to Peptuck for allowing the use of Shiro in the story.

And now, it seems that we'll soon get to see just what Darius is planning with the remaining Holy Stone. Only time will tell for sure...

As always, please read and review.


	27. I, II, XIII: State Of Affairs

Well. Glad to have another chapter out after this past semester. It ended up being quite a difficult one, as four of the hardest classes in my program wound up on my schedule at the exact same time, which didn't leave me much time at all to think about writing. Fortunately, that's behind me now, and I have the summer to try and pick up where I left off.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story  
_

_Chapter XIII: State Of Affairs  
_

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Briefing Room | 11:00 AM]

* * *

It's only been a day since the attack at Garden, but I can tell that it's going to have longer-lasting repercussions than what I thought at first.

Stepping into the conference room's interior along with Yuna and Paine, I can see eight uniformed figures sitting at the large oaken table, with a screen behind them that's almost as wide as the wall itself. I only recognize two of the figures, those being Katanas and Albel, but figure that I'll be introduced to the others in a moment.

"These are the three?" an older man asks Katanas, who nods.

"Yes, Father," Katanas replies, causing me to realize who I'm looking at - namely, the Headmaster of the Garden, Darius Elric DeValle, Sr.

"Very well," the Headmaster says, nodding and turning to us. "Please have a seat."

The three of us take a seat across from the eight gathered Garden officials, and Darius Sr. begins to speak once more.

"As you may know, I am Darius Elric DeValle, Sr., the Headmaster of this Garden. This is Katal Corelia, the Majority Leader for Senatorial Hall; Katanas DeValle, the Garden SeeD Commander; Albel Nox, the current General of the Sphere, and the four Paladins of the Sphere - Ellie Night, Onimaru Balthas, Camdus Marché, and Anita Drake," he explains, gesturing to each person in turn. Taking in the introductions, I take a moment as the Headmaster pauses to look over each of the officers.

Ellie Night is a woman of average build, yet also appears to be quite fit for battle in both physical stature and personality. She seems to hold a demeanor of absolute calm and coolness about her as she sits at the table, her long black hair barely moving and her hands interlaced on the table. By contrast, Anita Drake is of a similar stature as Ellie, but seems a bit more relaxed, sitting calmly but casually at the table with her arms folded. Camdus is larger in frame than I am and clearly battle-honed; he also seems to be the type who is content to sit and listen, watching us with a calm yet welcoming expression. Onimaru, however, is the largest of the four, larger of stature than Camdus - with all of it appearing to be muscle. He reminds me a bit of Darius, sitting almost haughtily at the table with a slight smirk on his face.

"Pay attention, worms, because I'll only say this once. Nothing leaves this room on pain of death...and if it comes to that, death will be the least of your worries," Albel says, with a low voice more akin to a growl.

"In layman's terms, everything from this point on is considered classified," Katanas reiterates, glancing at Albel. "We'll begin the debriefing now. The current time is 11:00 AM, on the 27th of March in 2152."

"Please, state your name and rank for the record," Camdus says, glancing at the three of us. Each of us look to the others, and I decide to go first.

"Benji Powell, SeeD Cadet."

"Yuna Kaname, SeeD Cadet."

"Paine Zaraki, SeeD Cadet."

"Tell us what you saw when you arrived at the front gate, Cadet Powell," Ellie states, her voice just as warm as her demeanor: chilly.

"Okay...I got to the front gates and found four SeeDs with weapons drawn at Fayt, who had confronted me before, and some kind of monster that I didn't recognize. It looked like a demonic fiend called a Daeva, but it had the tentacles of a Malboro growing out of its back. Fayt started exchanging words with me, and the Daeva cast a Flare spell on the four SeeDs before I could react, then attacked me," I explain, working to remember all the details.

"This 'Fayt' you keep mentioning...you make it sound like a person," Ellie continues.

"Well, she is...I don't really know much about her, but she broke into Yuna's airship a few days ago and tried to kill me. Said something about 'I might get in her way,' and that she was a Pillar of Reality, whatever that means."

"And things just got complicated," I can hear Katanas mutter from his position, even as Onimaru starts to laugh.

"...You got beat up by a pillar. What kind of cadets are we training that get beat up by female cement blocks?" Onimaru says, chuckling, and I hear Anita stifle a laugh beside Camdus.

"It's...a little more complicated than that," Katanas interjects, looking to Onimaru. "Let me explain. Fayt is indeed a person...or rather, a goddess. One of three beings that form the very foundations of our reality, keeping it stable - hence the term 'Pillar of Reality.' They reside on a plane of existence higher than our own...the Ethereal Realm."

Darius Sr., Katal, and Albel seem mostly unaffected by Katanas' words, but the Paladins of the Sphere look surprised...and in Onimaru's case, even a bit skeptical. No one at the table speaks for several seconds, and the tension in the air seems to ratchet up a notch.

"So, let me get this straight. You're saying that you've been the target of an assassination attempt by aliens, and that the attack was another attempt at finishing the job."

Silently, I nod, not really knowing what else to do - after all, it seems to be the truth. Onimaru just scoffs.

"Ha! Ignoring the absurdity of truth, this all assumes that you, a freshly-minted _cadet_, is important enough to be targeted by a being that apparently holds the fabric of reality together!" Onimaru exclaims, seeming to be on the verge of another bout of laughter.

"Sir, with all due respect...from what I've seen of her and what she's said to me so far, I don't see any other explanation. I can't explain why she's targeting me, but I know that she is," I say, managing to retain my calm. Onimaru looks like he's going to say more, but Darius Sr. holds up a hand, silencing him before he gets the chance to say anything.

"That's enough, Onimaru. Let's move back to the matter at hand, shall we?"

"Thank you, sir," Anita says, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. "Cadet Kaname, Cadet Zaraki. What led you to become involved?"

"We were waiting on Ben to get out of class," Yuna responds. "He was going to meet us near the front gates so that we could go have lunch once class was over. We were waiting for him to show up when all the commotion started, and we went to see what was going on."

"When we got there, we saw Ben looking like he was about to be gutted," Paine adds. "So, we helped him out."

"Why did you head to the front gate in the first place, Cadet Powell? I'm sure you heard the warnings," Ellie asks, causing me to mentally wince.

"I...don't know. Something was telling me that whatever was going on at the gate was Fayt's doing...and I didn't want her to try and come into the Garden to get to me. You saw the damage that creature caused - I thought that if she got into Garden, it would be a lot worse...so I thought that I'd try to keep the fighting on the outside of Garden to keep anyone from getting hurt."

Silently, I watch as the Paladins look at the rest of the gathered officers, but no one says anything further on the issue.

"I think that settles the matter," Katanas finally says, with slight nods from the others gathered at the table. "As a reminder, everything said here remains classified - no exceptions. Dismissed."

Quickly and quietly, everyone gets up from their chairs as Yuna, Paine and I begin to head out of the room.

"One more thing, Cadet Powell."

Ellie's voice stops me in my tracks, and I turn to face the officer.

"Ma'am?"

"You may do well to remember to follow warnings in the future, for the good of your future as a SeeD," Ellie says sternly, and I find myself swallowing the lump in my throat that had been building over the course of the briefing.

"...Yes ma'am."

Without another word, I turn and leave the room quickly, glad to be out of the debriefing before anyone else decides to mimic Ellie's approach to the matter.

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Briefing Room | 11:19 AM]

* * *

Onimaru looked at Ellie with what could pass for a frown. "So, do you want to explain to me just why you didn't throw that kid in the brig?"

Ellie's eyes were as impassive as stone, looking directly into Onimaru's own. "Unlike some of us," she began, directing a pointed glare his way, "I actually believe my superior officer. Of course, if you want to dispute his claims or my actions, we could certainly take this up with the Ethics Committee."

"...I've better things to do than spend my time investigating fairytales," Onimaru huffed, before leaving the room. Ellie let a small smile cross her face, turning to Katanas.

"I assume you would've stopped me had you disagreed with my course of action, sir?"

"Of course," Katanas replied, smiling. "However, despite what Onimaru might think...the boy's actions, while out of line in a sense, were founded. And he was correct about one thing - if Fayt had entered the Garden, there could have been far greater danger than just three SeeD fatalities on our hands."

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafeteria | 11:56 AM]

* * *

Despite all the tenseness of the previous day, everything seemed to have returned to normal - and really, that was to be expected in an organization such as Garden. Gossip ran rampant through the cafeteria, Garden students and cadets alike flirted with people at their tables, and most importantly, people ate lunch.

Sitting at one of the center tables with a fair-sized crowd was Ein, laughing and smiling as the group around him seemed to compete with each other to entertain him. For his part, he was quite oblivious to it all, including some of the not-so-subtle looks a few of the female students were sending him.

One girl teasingly asked him if he was taken, earning quite a blush from the thirteen-year old boy, when a shadow fell over the table. All conversation ceased as Andréa cleared her throat, and Ein looked up to see his sister standing over the table, causing his eyes to brighten considerably.

"Andréa! You're finally back!"

His older sister just nodded, clearing her throat again as her smile became darker. The scuffling of chairs followed quickly, and seconds later, the table was vacated except for the two siblings. Andréa took a chair beside her brother, allowing her smile to soften a bit.

"I see you've become more popular since I left, hm?" she said after a moment, chuckling softly and leaving Ein beaming at the compliment.

"It got a little easier once they started talking to me," the boy replied. "I missed you, you know. How was the mission? You've been gone for months, so it must have been good."

"You might say that...it went well enough," Andréa said, standing up from her chair. "Let's head back to my room, and I'll tell you all about it." Ein looked a little surprised at the news, glancing at his sister even as he stood up with a look of confusion.

"I thought that the mission information was...well, classified?" Ein whispered, keeping his voice low. Andréa didn't say anything for a moment, remembering a conversation she had with Katanas before her mission began.

* * *

_--Flashback--_

"_And, Andréa?" Katanas said, handing the younger SeeD a closed envelope with her name, SeeD ID, and other information on it._

"_Sir?"_

"_Don't tell Ein until you get back, if you don't mind."_

_Andréa opened the envelope, beginning to read over the document inside...and frowned a minute later, looking back at Katanas. "Sir, this mission is classified. I can't tell him -"_

"_Consider this protocol a special exception," Katanas said, holding up a hand and politely interrupting the lieutenant. "Your brother has proven himself to be someone I can trust as my aide, so we'll let this one slide," he continued, smiling. Andréa paused, blinking, then nodded as a smile also crossed her face._

"_Of course, sir."_

_--End Flashback--_

* * *

"...Katanas said to consider you a special exception for this mission," Andréa finally answered, leading the way out of the cafeteria and towards the elevator.

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Lobby | 12:04 PM]

* * *

Normally, most people would assume that noon was the busiest time of day for most businesses and organizations. In most cases, they would be right. However, Trabia's curriculum, like those of the other Gardens and educational institutions, generally had most students and cadets either in class around the noon hour, or in the cafeteria getting lunch between classes. As such, it was very quiet as two figures stepped into the lobby of Trabia Garden, the one on the right yawning and turning to his companion.

"Have I mentioned that I hate trains?" Locke said with a smile. Angel smirked, glancing at the treasure hunter.

"Don't let Selphie hear you say that," Angel joked, as they stepped up to the receptionist's desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked, not even looking up from the computer she was busily typing away at.

"I'd like to register my friend here, miss..."

Angel paused for a moment, looking at the receptionist's nameplate, which read 'Rain Myers' in bold text.

"Miss Myers."

The receptionist paused for a moment, then reached down below the desk, pulling out a stack of several papers and handing them to Angel over the counter.

"Just fill those out, and bring them back here. There's also a late registration fee of 5300 Gil you must pay since you're over the deadline."

Angel nodded and took out his wallet, opening it and pulling four notes from the money within, handing them to Rain, who finally looked up at Angel.

"I don't handle that here. You'll have to go to the business office on the third floor to take care of the late charge," she explained. Once again, Angel nodded and handed the papers to Locke.

"Find somewhere where you can sit and fill those papers out, and I'll go up and take care of that fee of yours. Second floor should have some open classrooms you can use, if this Garden is like Balamb," Angel said.

"Thanks," Locke replied, following Angel towards the elevator. A flash of movement beside Angel caught his attention, and he glanced over as he walked to see Locke twirling a pen in his free hand.

"Did you take that?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I prefer to think of it as utilizing the Garden's materials," Locke said with a grin, prompting Angel to merely shake his head as they reached the elevator. "What? I'll give it back!"

With a press of a button, the doors opened as the duo walked inside, the elevator whirring to life as it rose towards the second floor.

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Second Floor, Classroom 1-D | 12:30 PM]

* * *

"Ah, fair damsel, you have nothing to fear! I, Jaden Alexei Tsiolkovskyi the III, heir apparent of the noble House Barrows of Galbadia, have come to rescue you from mediocrity!"

Rikku, upon entering her Introduction to Magic History Class, a requirement for all SeeD cadets at Trabia, blinked.

"Um...do I know you?" she finally stammered after a long pause, staring at the male cadet in front of her. The boy appeared to be just older than Rikku, with blond hair drawn back into a ponytail and a fairly handsome face, along with dark eyes that were now focused on the SeeD cadet. Some of the female cadets in the room were giggling, apparently familiar with this particular cadet's mannerisms already. Smiling, he bowed with a flourish before meeting Rikku's eyes once more.

"I am but your most staunch admirer, a bystander enraptured by your great beauty-"

He seemed as though he'd say more, but the door behind Rikku opened again as the instructor, an older woman carrying two books under an arm, stepped into the room.

"Alright, children, have a seat. I hope you brought curative magic with you because if your wrists aren't complaining during this class, you haven't written enough notes," the instructor said with a smile. A universal groan sounded from all of the students in the room as they dragged out a notebook and pencil, listening as the instructor began their lecture.

An hour later, Rikku exited the classroom along with a crowd of other students, massaging her wrists - the instructor had been joking, but not much.

"It must be an exotic torture method to make a person write that much..." she muttered to herself, still rubbing her left wrist.

"She of fair eyes!"

Rikku mentally groaned - this _again_?

"My lady, permit me to walk you to a place of your choosing. Such beauty should not be without an escort in this day and age," Jaden intoned. Rikku blinked again, feeling just as confused as she had before class.

"Um...okay?" she replied, looking at the cadet with a slightly baffled expression.

'_Guy's a little bit of a nut, but I guess he's a gentleman...'_

Jaden just bowed graciously, his expression of happiness quite visible in his face as he stood straight again.

"I shall follow you until the very gates of Hyne's palace if I must!"

'_Okay, more of a nut than I thought...or expected. That's not really necessary...'_ Rikku thought to herself, suddenly wondering if it was really a good idea to let Jaden escort her anywhere.

"Rikku!"

Ben's voice broke her out of her silence, and she felt a twinge of pain in her head as she glanced behind her to see Ben approaching her from down the hall.

"...Oh. Ben," she said, the acknowledgment coming out a bit more harsh than she'd intended.

"...Is something wrong?" Ben asked, glancing between Jaden and Rikku almost suspiciously.

"Nothing's wrong. We're just busy," Rikku began, cutting Jaden off before he could get a word out.

"Right," Ben said, his voice low. "How was class?"

"I'll tell you later. I told you, we're busy right now."

The sharpness of the comment startled Ben, who's eyes widened in surprise even as Rikku turned to Jaden.

"Jaden? Would you mind escorting me to the library? We've got a lot of notes to go over," Rikku said, not even pausing to say anything more to Ben as Jaden nodded, beginning to lead the girl down the hall. Ben couldn't do anything but watch in mute surprise as the two walked in silence, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot.

"...Did I miss something here...?" he finally managed to say, turning and walking back the way he came as his mind reeled with confusion.

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Andréa Beoulve's Room | 1:12 PM]

* * *

"Wow..."

That was really the only word that Ein Beoulve could get out as he finished listening to his sister's story. The mission she was sent on being a mission to go to another world to explore and find certain people? Ein found that incredibly inspiring, and not for the first time, he wondered about the limits of what his supervisor knew. Working under Katanas as the SeeD Commander's aide had let him see a lot of decisions that the older DeValle made, and Ein swore that on more than one occasion, the Commander seemed to act as if he knew things in advance that no one should.

Maybe it had something to do with the lady with white hair that often spoke with Katanas, Ein reasoned, but he didn't know for sure.

"Gaia to Ein," Andréa said, waving a hand in front of her younger brother's eyes. "Are you still with me here?"

"Sorry, sis," the younger Beoulve said, grinning sheepishly. "It's just...I wish I could go on a mission like that. It sounds so exciting!"

"You'll get your chance one day," Andréa replied, beaming. "I mean, you already work for the SeeD Commander...think about what you'll get to do when you finish your SeeD training and take the field exam." Ein nodded, still smiling at his sister.

"I know...I'll keep working hard at it, too!" he said firmly, causing Andréa to laugh as she reached over to tussle his hair. Ein managed to squirm out of her reach, reaching up with both hands to try and make his hair some semblance of neat again.

"Want some ice cream?" she asked, standing up and walking to the door to put her shoes back on. "My treat."

"Strawberry!" Ein answered, trying and failing to muss his sister's own hair up as she finished putting her shoes on, before abandoning the idea and leading the way out of the room.

* * *

You'll be seeing more mission briefings and debriefings in the future, with the next likely being the field exam.

Yes, I gave Yuna and Paine last names, mostly because the story called for it as I went through the first part of this chapter. Gasp shock! Rikku has one too, for the record. And speaking of names, Jaden's last name is pronounced "see-ol-kov-skee," for the curious - blame Iron Reaver for the grandiose and Russian sounding name.

Not much else to say besides the above. As always, please read and review.


	28. I, II, XIV: Forward Unto Dawn

Not much to say about this chapter - the story merely continues. We're nearing the end of Part II, however, with only a few more chapters to go._

* * *

_

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XIV: Forward Unto Dawn_

* * *

[March 22, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Training Center | 7:11 PM]

* * *

The pair of Grats in front of me collapses as I watch on, one set ablaze by a Firaga spell that I had cast, the other oozing green blood from several deep wounds in its 'chest.' Shaking some of the life fluid from my sword, I begin to look around the training center once again in search of another battle.

One thing I've noticed about Trabia's training center is that it's quite large, probably three or four times the size of Balamb Garden's own if I had to take a quick guess. Then again, Trabia itself is much larger than Balamb since the rebuilding, and so I can only assume that they had plenty of room to work with for things like this when they laid the foundations.

"At least it's not magic class..." I say to myself as I keep walking, my searching proving fruitless at the moment. Magic itself is interesting to me, but I'm finding very quickly that I'd rather not sit through lectures on the topic. Even as my thoughts wander on the subject, drifting back to the focus of today's lecture on the properties and origins of magic from Sorceresses, a rustling of bushes and trees beside me catches my attention. Stepping back a distance from the sound, I get ready to confront whatever might be about to walk out of the growth of the center.

That doesn't prepare me for what, or rather who, walks out of the bushes - a female figure wearing some kind of ornate wrap around their eyes, flowing, oriental-style sleeveless shirt and exotically jeweled skirt, as well has having a dangerous-looking scythe strapped to their back easily as tall as I am, if not taller.

"Hello again," the figure says, in a strikingly familiar and definitely female voice. "It's been a while," she continues, lifting the wrap just slightly to reveal the whole of her face to me.

"...Andréa?" I ask in surprise, honestly not expecting to run across the girl, despite her apparent association with Darius. I had also not expected her outfit to change so drastically in such a short length of time.

"Glad to see you remember," she says with a smile. "I take it you've been well?"

"Can't complain, really," I reply, putting my sword away for the moment. "SeeD training is a bit more...school-like than I expected, but I'm getting used to it. What about you?"

"Catching up with my little brother," she answers, walking over to me as she speaks. "He missed me quite a bit while I was in Spira."

"You were just there for the tournament, weren't you?" I ask, now curious. "And who's your brother, by the way?"

"I was only there for the tournament, but I took a bit of time to look around and take in the sights as well. My brother's name is Ein Beoulve," the girl states, resting her scythe on a tree just beside the path.

"I want to say I've heard his name before..." I start, realizing who she's talking about after a few seconds of thought. "Oh...that's right, he came into our Alchemy class a few days ago to deliver a message to Katanas. That's where I heard his name."

"He works here as Katanas' aide alongside his SeeD training. I'm pretty proud of him, being the SeeD Commander's aide and all at such a young age," Andréa says, nodding with a smile on her face.

"And they grow up so fast," I joke, chuckling a little and rubbing my left shoulder. A screech from the path ahead of us cuts off any retort Andréa might make, and we both turn our attention to the path to see a single Grat approaching, apparently angered at us for entering its "territory."

"I can handle this one," she states simply, picking up her scythe as she pulls the wrap back down over her eyes. Blinking slightly at the strange move - it _did _render her blind, after all - I step back to watch the impending battle. Even seemingly blind, Andréa's focus is decidedly sharp as she 'watches' the Grat with a relaxed air about her. The creature doesn't waste any time, swinging its long and spindly arms at her in a flash of motion, but neither does Andréa. In a single deft movement, two of the limbs fall to the ground, severed neatly by a cut from her massive polearm, and I watch as she counters with a Fire spell that sets the Grat ablaze. A mere second later, and she has advanced on the creature, leaving a pair of long, deep tears in the fiend's body that pour green blood to the path.

"Looks like you changed your style a bit since I last saw you," I comment as the Grat falls to the dirt in a bloodied heap.

"Just slightly," she says, turning to me with the same impaired gaze. "When I came back here, I started looking for other styles of combat to learn...and I found one that interested me. Specifically, the arts of the Ritualist."

"Sounds like some kind of creepy magic user," I comment, shrugging. Andréa, luckily, doesn't seem to take offense at my remark.

"It's more than that. It believes heavily on a more spiritual sense of vision, hence the wrap that covers my eyes. Ritualists believe that removing their sense of sight helps them commune more fully with the spiritual realm, letting them summon creatures and weave magic of greater power than if they used just their earthly senses," she explains.

"I guess that makes it more than just a creepy magic user, then," I say, giving a lopsided smile.

"Cute," she says, lifting the weapon up to rest on her shoulders as if it didn't weigh anything at all. Then again, she's probably using junctions too - in that case, it really doesn't.

My musing on the weight of weapons is abruptly cut short, though, as a guttural roar sounds from the surrounding area, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

"...Was that a T-Rexaur?" I ask, hesitantly. I'd fought a T-Rexaur earlier while in here, but it didn't make a sound like what I've just heard.

"Not that I've ever heard," Andréa replies, looking around. My eyes begin to scan the area for any sign of...whatever that was, when I hear a soft gasp from Andréa. Before I can react, I find myself being shoved to the ground, just before a large bolt of magical lightning splits the air and bores a hole in a tree behind me.

"T-Thanks," I stammer, looking up at the hole as my momentary shock is willed away and replaced by anger as I get back to my feet. Looking in the direction of where the lightning bolt came from, I can see trees and growth moving, being trampled by whatever's there. Several seconds later, we get an answer.

Lurching from the trees is a large, quadrupedal creature that reminds me of the Sphinx from the deserts of Egypt, except this one is a vibrant yellow with tufts of white showing from under the creature's chest. Four multicolored protrusions of flesh and bone extend from its upper back, framing the lion-like facial features and giving it a regal appearance, and I can see what appear to be sparks of electricity popping over the creature's body.

"...So, is that something that you guys put in here?" I ask, glancing at Andréa while drawing my swords from their respective sheathes.

"As far as I'm aware...no," she answers, staring the creature down. I can see a green flash just faintly beneath her eye wrappings, the sign of Scan magic, which prompts me to do the same.

_Thunder Sphinx  
__  
Stamina: ??/??  
__Mana: ??/??_

–_Guard–  
__Fire: None  
__Ice: None  
__Lightning: Immune  
__Water: Weak  
__Wind: Half  
__Earth: None  
__Holy: None  
__Dark: None  
__Status: All_

_(Play: The Divine Spirit of Language - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)_

"Weak to Water spells, huh..." I mutter, looking at the creature as it begins to pace back and forth in front of us, like a cat. "Doubt I can exploit that weakness well..."

Beside me, I can see Andréa concentrating, whispering words softly to herself as she stands still. Faintly, I can see a hazy blue glow encompassing her body that seems to melt off from her, twisting and writhing in the air before splitting into three forms that finally materialize in front of her. Each of the forms then take shape, becoming translucent, hovering spirits vaguely resembling a human but with clawed hands much larger than normal. Ethereal chains hang from the wrists of each spirit, as if to shackle them to the mortal realm of existence. I'm forced to turn my attention back to the creature as it growls angrily, roaring again and sending a surge of lightning our way.

"Shell!"

The familiar pinkish-red barrier envelops me as the lightning impacts, jolting me and burning my skin even with the Shell up. Andréa has a different idea, and plants her scythe into the ground as she also casts a Shell spell on herself. The scythe's metal blade acts as sort of a lightning rod, catching some of the magical lightning and redirecting it into the ground to help stave off the attack.

"Deep Freeze!"

Tracing an arcane symbol in the air with her hand, Andréa unleashes the Symbology magic on the Sphinx, pelting it with ice as the air around it rapidly freezes despite its efforts to dodge. With a roar, it sends an orb of lightning her way, but the ethereal spirits in front of her begin throwing out shining balls of magic, and the orb misses Andréa completely as the creature realizes that it now has five targets to deal with instead of two.

"Blade Fury!"

Using Andréa's attack as a distraction, I've managed to get closer to the beast, and a hail of throwing knives fly through the air from my position, stabbing and slicing at the Thunder Sphinx's skin. It seems to have little effect on the fiend's tough hide, though, and I barely get a chance to blink before an orb of lightning is on top of me, slamming into my chain mail and sending a paralyzing jolt of electricity through my body. A choked-off scream escapes my mouth as I fall, feeling my body quite unwilling to reply to my demands to get up and move - like my joints are stiff and my muscles as solid as bone.

"Eruption!"

I can't see much of what's behind me, but I do see the ground under the Sphinx glow a furious red before exploding, covering the creature in a large orb of fiery energy that causes the beast to roar in pain. Magic blasts also fly into the blaze of energy, letting me know that the spirits are also attacking. Moments later, a soothing sensation washes over my body, relieving the stiffness and pain in my body and allowing me to move again as the Esuna spell takes hold.

"Thanks...again," I manage to say, backing up and trying to regroup with Andréa as the energy from her Symbology magic dissipates. A red and blue blur moves through my field of vision, and I spin to Andréa in time to see the Thunder Sphinx rip through two of her summoned spirits with massive claws and utterly destroy the last with a burst of Thunder magic before turning its attention to her. Her scythe swings up in time to block another swipe from the beast's claws, and I can tell that she's straining under the pressure despite her junctions.

'_Move, move...!'_

Casting a Haste spell on myself to help shake off the rest of the paralyzing energy, I enchant my sword with a watery aura before stabbing it into the creature's flank, earning a bellow of pain for my efforts and forcing me to duck as the creature leaves Andréa alone to focus on me. Lunging at me, it tries to bite down on my arms but finds that move ineffective as I dart out of the way, summoning energy for another strike. My concentrated, forceful burst of Waterga magic slams it in the face as I cast the spell, but it lunges again as I recover, slapping me away with a clawed foot that sends me hurtling across the dirt.

"Water III!"

The creature looks back at Andréa just in time to take another burst of Water-element magic to the face, right before Andréa buries her scythe in the beast's upper body with an overhead swing. The Thunder Sphinx bellows again, a roar that shakes the trees and bushes around us, and the girl rips the scythe out just before it unleashes an expanding sphere of lightning from its body, shocking both of us and sending us to our knees from the pain of the creature's favored electrical magic.

Neither of us makes much of an attempt to move for a moment, trying to recover from the Lightning-element assault, but I manage to cast a Firaga spell at the Sphinx to try and draw its attention away from Andréa again. This time, however, it merely takes the attack and continues to advance on the girl...

Right before she leaps up, scythe glowing with energy, and slashes the Thunder Sphinx squarely across the face in a single, swift motion.

"Hurry and kill it, now!" she yells, and I nod, scrambling back to my feet and focusing for a more powerful spell. Andréa appears to be doing the same, and she steps back moments before I cast my spell.

"Flare!"

"Eruption!"

A bright, orange-white beam of energy bursts from my outstretched hands, smashing into the creature and searing it with the pure magical energy right before the ground glows red again, exploding upwards and fully covering the creature in an orb of Fire-element power. Branches wave furiously and bushes melt under the combined assault, and the Thunder Sphinx's roar is loud enough that I expect the training center's roof to come down on us any moment. As the attack dies down, though, I can see nothing left of the creature - our combined attack utterly destroyed it.

_(End: The Divine Spirit of Language - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)_

"Whew...enough of a workout for you?" I ask, grinning through the soreness that my body feels from being paralyzed and shocked for the past few minutes.

"Workout? That hardly qualifies as a warm-up," she replies with a smile, hefting her scythe again and casting a low powered Water spell to clean the creature's blood from the blade. Looking down at myself, I notice bits of Grat blood, torn pieces of clothing, and dirt dotting my clothes.

"Don't know about you, but I think it's time I hit the shower..." I mutter. "And then somewhere I can get my equipment checked out, come to think of it."

"You might want to head to Revolver's shop here in Merchant's Alley," Andréa comments, looking at my somewhat worn armor. "He's considered one of the best blacksmiths in Garden, if not the best here."

There's a moment of silence as I listen to her words, and I stretch my left arm out to get rid of the tingling feeling of a body part falling asleep before nodding and turning towards the exit to the center.

"Thanks. I'll have to get around to that sometime tomorrow. Are you going to hang around here for a bit longer?"

"Maybe," she says with a shrug. "I promised Ein I'd be back before too long to get some dinner."

"Not a bad idea," I comment, nodding again. "Well, maybe I'll see you around later."

"Same," she says, and I wave before disappearing towards the exit to the expansive training area.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Fayt's Domain]

* * *

Fayt wasn't pleased. An understatement, to be perfectly honest.

"...Damn it, what does it take to get _rid _of this kid?" she growled, dismissing the magical portal she had been watching through with a thought. "I need something different, something no one would expect..."

"Complaining again?" a voice said, breaking both Fayt's concentration and her momentary rant.

"...Oh. Will," she grumbled, flashing an annoyed look at her fellow Pillar. "What do you want?"

"Merely to check on you," Will replied calmly. "I know what you're doing, after all."

"And you haven't tried to stop me? I'm surprised," said Fayt, eyeing Will with a wary glance.

"I don't have to, you know. Your plan won't work."

The certainty in Will's voice caused Fayt to frown, stepping closer to the Pillar of Foretelling.

"I don't care if you _can _see the future. You should know best of all that the future can be altered," she hissed, looking up just slightly into the eyes of her older 'brother.'

"You may be right," Will said, with the same amount of impassive calm he usually carried. "But I have my doubts...both because of the actions of your sister and the unpredictability of mortals."

"...You know about that?" Fayt questioned, annoyed that Will had made mention of her 'humiliation' at Destine's hands.

"Of course. It's no surprise that Destine has been growing...displeased with her position. To put it simply, she wants more - more power, more status, more of everything. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."

"Because of Arragious, right?"

"Possibly."

Fayt smirked.

"I should've known."

Will nodded, then turned and began to walk away without any further words.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I have things to attend to. You understand," Will countered with a smile. The smirk merely returned to Fayt's face at Will's words.

"Of course."

* * *

This is mostly a small filler chapter before the end of the arc. There are only 4 to 5 more chapters to round out this part, and then it's on to Part III. As always, please read and review.


	29. I, II, XV: Divine Intervention

Another day, another chapter. This one didn't take me so long to _write_ as it did to make sure I had all my details right - better to get them right the first time instead of having to edit and fix things after the fact.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XV—Divine Intervention_

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation, Freya's Chamber]

* * *

A single figure strode confidently into the expansive and decorated chamber of the Creator, their heavy obsidian-shaded armor clinking regally as they walked across the marble floor. Built as though sculpted from rock in the visage of the perfect warrior, the figure was legendary in the Ethereal Plane and mortal plane alike - though the latter was born of mere myth and not of true knowledge. Sheathed at their side was a mighty sword, a blade forged by the finest smiths in the entire realm, said to be unbreakable - the Zantetsuken.

The figure was none other than Odin, one of Freya's two personal advisors and the legendary leader of the Ethereal Plane's forces in times of war.

"You summoned me, Mistress?" Odin intoned, bowing respectfully before Freya, who merely smiled and motioned for Odin to rise.

"I did. I have much to discuss with you, Lord Odin," the Creator said calmly, gesturing for Odin to take a seat at the grand, luminescent silver table to one side of the room. The warrior did so, taking a place at one side of the large table, quietly thinking how the table seemed designed for use in large and exquisite banquets rather than matters of state, as Freya took a place at the other side. "How goes the peacekeeping?"

"It has been difficult," Odin began, remembering the events of the past few weeks. "However, the struggle has subsided significantly as of late. The dissenters' forces were weakened significantly in the last confrontation, which has given us a moment's respite whilst we plan our next move. Negotiations have proven ineffective; they seem to live in fear and hatred of Your Grace, exacerbated by the incident with the Gilead Order."

"I suspect my words would do little to calm their fears," Freya said, never taking her eyes from her advisor.

"They see you as little more than a figurehead, interested only in consolidating her position, ignoring the connection between your rule and their continued prosperity," Odin affirmed with a brusque nod. "Few appear willing to reason; the vast majority, little more than zealots."

Freya sighed quietly, looking away. She had been worried that something like this would happen when she made the decision to exile Arragious Nicholai long ago. The Gilead Order, of which Nicholai had been a member, had come to Freya with a demand: either exile the Captain-Commander from the Realm, or face an internal war from the Order itself. Faced with such an ultimatum - and the fact that the Gilead Order was the largest force that the Ethereal Plane had at the time - Freya agreed to Nicholai's exile, unwilling to risk an open and bloody rebellion in her Realm.

Unfortunately, the Gilead Order didn't live up to their promise of peace and simply rebelled anyway, in the hopes of securing more power for themselves – they had managed to coerce the Creator herself to cede to their demands, after all. Freya, in response, had promptly given Odin and Xeios, her other advisor, the order to end the rebellion and reinstate peace by whatever means they deemed fit.

"It cannot be helped, I suppose," she finally said, meeting Odin's gaze once more. "If those willing to reason decide to negotiate, bring them here. They have my promise that they will not come to harm whilst under my roof. Otherwise, continue your efforts to quell this insurrection."

"Yes, my lady," Odin said, nodding gravely at Freya's words.

"My next concern: the Planeswalkers that I summoned. Fayt appears to have taken personal offense against one of them."

"Indeed," he began, allowing himself the barest hint of a smile. "I, myself, have not seen much of her actions, but Will has informed me of his view on the matter; he suspects she believes her plans are in jeopardy because of their presence."

"She has not done any great harm, and her mistakes were but simple ones," Freya replied, also smiling. "She, of all people, should know that Planeswalkers are unique individuals, all chosen for their talents. They are not to be taken lightly."

"The first that you chose of Gaia's twentieth order is a truly…thorough example," Odin added. "Most mortals would have failed in several of the tasks he was given, and Vayash Moru are seldom attributed much outside of their dispositions."

"Liam Bayloh is indeed a fine example of the title," Freya agreed. "That is why I entrusted him to find the most recent chosen. Vayash Moru are indeed worthy of the title 'Masters of the Hunt,' would you not agree?"

Odin gave but a small tilt of his head to signal his agreement, prompting Freya to continue her statement.

"Before we continue, I ask that you go and bring Lady Kisara here, please. This has bearing on her current situation here in the realm."

Wordlessly, Odin stood from the table, placing a closed fist over his chest as he looked to the Creator once again.

"It shall be done, my lady."

* * *

[March 23, 2152 | Esthar, Futabishi Electronics, Shiro Matsuda's Office | 5:06 PM]

* * *

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

Business was good. The Estharian government had become more relaxed in the time following the defeat of Ultimecia. SeeD had nullified the largest threat to national security and Galbadia was under _stable _leadership for a change. For Shiro Matsuda and the Hachikyuusan, business couldn't have been better if Laguna Loire had personally handed them new toys to play with.

Then Darius Edward DeValle, Jr. decided to show up.

It was no secret that there was little love lost between the Green Dragons and House DeValle. Rarely if ever, after all, did neighboring crime families get along with each other, be it a personal vendetta or business-related matters. With the Senior aiming to increase the family's holdings and influence into the other major countries, it was inevitable that he'd have to play his hand against the other, more firmly entrenched syndicates in those countries. Already, he had quite a bit of trouble to deal with in Galbadia from the Deling family's underground organization, and now he was going up against the biggest crime family in the largest country in the world. Unfortunately for the Senior, Shiro was a very shrewd player, able to consistently outmaneuver him at every turn.

Darius Jr., however, was a different story. The first tip off that Shiro had that the younger DeValle was up to something had come when he allowed himself to be voluntarily disarmed upon entering the building. Anyone familiar with the boy, even in passing, was plaintively aware of the possessiveness he held over the small armory he carried on his person. Instead of putting Shiro at ease, it only made him wonder more what purpose the youngest DeValle had for seeking him out.

Making a motion to the younger boy to take a seat, Shiro retook his seat behind the desk and leaned back, lacing his fingers together and peering over them at the lightning-throwing Alchemist before him. "_Konnichi wa_, mister DeValle. It's something of a surprise to see the youngest DeValle in Estharian territory."

Shiro's fingers unlaced as he looked towards one of the two figures standing at the office's door, calling for tea to be brought up to the pair before he returned his attention to Darius, all business. Unperturbed in the slightest, Darius merely smiled, slipping easily into an Estharian accent and bowing just enough to be respectful. As the head of Merchant's Alley, it was Darius' job to know the behaviors and customs of other countries and the people therein.

"Mister Matsuda, your hospitality is appreciated. I won't be here long, however, so allow me to cut through some red tape, _ne_?"

Without waiting for a reply, Darius pulled the Aries Holy Stone from his pocket and set it on the table in front of Shiro, smirking as the Hachikyuusan _daimyo _examined the artifact. "This is an artifact of untold magical power. A nameless competitor of my father's went to great lengths to try obtaining a number of them, and forces outside of his comprehension took away his little toys. I've got the last one left, and I intend to make use of it."

He was about to say more when Shiro held up a hand, forestalling him as a woman approached with a steaming pot of tea, pouring a cup for each of the two of them before departing again. Shiro took a short sip, savoring the flavor of the hot beverage, before returning his attention to his guest. "Magical artifacts, as I'm sure you are aware, are not my particular line of expertise." His lips turned up into a small smile. "I was under the impression that your father was a specialist in that area?"

Ignoring the jibe, Darius continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I just need a few things before I set out, from someone who I know won't break a deal. Of course, I'm willing and able to pay top dollar."

Shiro took another sip of his tea, considering the young DeValle's words carefully, before placing the cup down on the table and chuckling quietly.

"I am the _daimyo _of the Green Dragon sect of the overall Hachikyuusan organization," he said, repeating words he had used once before. "There are a great many things I can offer that you would find interest in. What is it that you need?"

Darius gave the closest thing to a smile that his smirk-happy face was accustomed to.

"I want to hire a runner who can get the job done, no matter what. A runner who can do, and has done, the impossible. I want to hire Seifer Almasy."

Shiro's eyebrow arched, even as his face twisted back into a smile that would've unnerved almost anyone.

"This must be important, to ask me for my _saikyo-komon_ personally," Shiro continued, looking at the Alchemist.

"This artifact needs to reach my eldest brother, safely and quickly. I can't have it traced back to me, or else...well, trouble with my father would be the least of my worries. I need someone who can get the job done efficiently and quietly, and Seifer Almasy fits that description."

Shiro took another sip of his tea, the warm beverage soothing him as he considered Darius' words.

"It appears we have a deal, then. How soon must the delivery be made?"

"As soon as possible. I don't know how much time I have left to get this to Katanas."

"Then I will have Seifer make the run tonight."

Darius nodded satisfactorily - on the inside, he was grinning. He hadn't expected things to go as well as they did, but he'd played the gamble through and come up a winner.

"I appreciate it, mister Matsuda. You live up to your reputation, it appears," Darius said with a chuckle, extending his hand to the Green Dragon _daimyo_. Shiro took it with a firm grip, shaking Darius' hand warmly with a nod as the youngest DeValle son stood from his chair. "I would love to stay and chat more, but the business world is a busy lifestyle. You understand."

"All too well, my friend. All too well."

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Fayt's Domain]

* * *

In hindsight, Fayt realized, taking a bit of a break to clear her head would've helped dramatically with her plans.

Not that it would've helped when it came to dealing with Destine, but perhaps she would've realized sooner that the approach she'd tried was bound to fail from the very beginning. Having command of powerful minions to do your bidding is all well and good, but when the target of your aggression is stationed in a building full of highly-trained military officers, not to mention no less than two Planeswalkers picked by Freya herself...

Well, a bit of careful thought never hurt anyone. At least, that was Fayt's perspective now.

"Never send a minion to do the boss' work, after all..." the Pillar of Fate murmured, now sitting quietly in a meditative position on the 'floor' of her abode. There was no sense sending down minions - which required power to create them in the first place - that inevitably ended up dead without accomplishing anything of value. They just waste your energy and stir up unnecessary trouble. Better to just rest for a bit, replenish your energy, and then get down to business yourself, she reasoned. After all, watching your plans succeed from relative safety is good, but carrying them out yourself just to watch the look on the faces of the ones standing against you as you crush both their bodies and spirits is priceless.

Quietly, Fayt closed her eyes, reaching out to the Ethereal Plane itself and drawing on the latent magical energy that permeated the air. The air around her shimmered and shone with a white hue as she began to draw the energy into herself, using the untapped power to replenish her own spiritual energy. It would take time, she knew, but she didn't care about that. Her plans would not be hindered by the break - she had all the time in the world.

* * *

[Ethereal Realm, Palace of Creation, Freya's Chamber]

* * *

Kisara admired, not for the first time, the elegance and pristine atmosphere of Freya's palace chamber as she took a seat at the grand table inside the room.

"You summoned me, Mistress?"

"I did, on a matter that I feel most important. It has to do with Fayt - more specifically, her plans as they relate to one of the Planeswalkers among my chosen," Freya replied solemnly, looking across the table at the Ethereal mage as Odin retook his place.

Planeswalkers.

That name sent waves through Kisara's mind, and she found herself unconsciously thinking back to all that she had been taught regarding those given that a title. Each realm - the Ethereal Plane, the Nether Plane, and Soul Society - had chosen certain figures throughout the history of the realms to serve as representatives of that realm – Emissaries, of a sort. Most often they were mortals chosen from a specific realm, though several of the chosen had been of other descent, Kisara knew. Freya had chosen a Vayash Moru as the first of her Planeswalkers in the twentieth order, a "vampire" as they were known by most mortals, and in that choice found who she deemed the most worthy and skilled among any that she had chosen in the future.

The name 'Planeswalker' itself did not come about for many centuries after the first was chosen. Unusually enough, it was to be the chosen themselves who would develop and use the term to describe themselves as a reference to the frequency with which they found themselves crossing between the different mortal and other realms alike. Over time, as the Planeswalkers corresponded with their respective deities and learned more of their aims and goals for both their realm and others, some of the chosen began to treat their role as one would a game of chess, each working to outmaneuver and outperform the chosen of other deities to curry favor with their own. This had the side effect of the chosen developing strong skills both in and out of battle that were passed down, through tutelage and sometimes bloodline, to other Planeswalkers.

Kisara, now with these thoughts at the forefront, frowned as she looked at the Creator.

"What is the problem, Mistress?"

"There is no problem...at the moment. However, there may be soon, which is why I sent for you. I believe that Fayt is planning to move against the chosen in question soon, and I feel that precautions would be a wise course of action."

"Precautions?"

A smile returned to Freya's face as she watched her charge, Odin also glancing at the mage momentarily before returning his attention to Freya.

"Yes. That is why I have called you here. As of this moment, I am lifting the punishment I placed on you as a result of your earlier actions."

Kisara grew shocked for a brief instant before her face returned to a neutral expression, her eyes showing relief and gratitude at the words - but also showing a hint of concern. Freya was not one to simply absolve a punishment without reason...so what was that reason?

"You have my solemn thanks, Mistress...but may I ask why?"

Freya's hands laced as she placed them upon the table, looking across at Kisara with an expression that was solemn, yet commanding.

"I want you to watch over the Planeswalkers of Gaia's twenty-first order. Fayt's grudge appears to lie only with one at the present, but that could change at any moment. Currently, most of the Planeswalkers of this order are within close proximity of each other, easing your task."

Slowly, Kisara absorbed the order and the meaning behind it, nodding reverently to the Creator as she did. "I understand, Mistress. When am I to begin?"

"You are to begin immediately. Go now, and may the realm's light shine upon you."

"As you command, Mistress," Kisara said, standing from her seat with a bow before exiting the chamber as silently as she had come.

"Are you sure it is wise to give her such an order, my lady?" Odin asked, once Kisara was out of earshot. "Surely this task would be better given to a ranking member of the Divine Magi, would it not?"

"All warriors face trials to prove their skill and devotion to a cause. I have faith that Lady Kisara will not fail in her task for this reason," Freya answered simply, once again smiling. "I have one more matter to discuss with you while you are present here, Lord Odin."

Odin gave but a small tilt of his head to signal his readiness to listen, prompting Freya to continue her statement.

"I feel that the Planeswalkers that are now on Gaia shall be sufficient to aid in the task I now have for you. Both yourself and Lord Xeios are to be involved, but it shall not be undertaken for a short time."

"Another task, my lady?" Odin queried, the smile vanishing to be replaced with a contemplative expression. He knew that whatever Freya needed, it must be serious in order to require the services of both her advisors. "What might this task be?"

"The complete cessation of Fayt's plans for power."

* * *

And there you have it. Freya's sat back and watched this little spectacle long enough.

Again, thanks to Peptuck for the use of Shiro and the Hachikyuusan in the story - I tried to take special care to keep the few minor details right, such as the name of the company Shiro used as a front for operations.

The Planeswalkers have a lot of detail in this chapter because of their role. Every realm has them, and they often play a large part in actions that those realms take, especially when it comes to any mortal realms they affect. A sort of otherworldly special task force, if you will.

Until next chapter, then. As always, please read and review.


	30. I, II, XVI: Risky Business

I had an annoying time writing this chapter, due to constantly writing something, looking at it, erasing it...rinse and repeat. Finally decided on something I liked, and had a much easier time afterwards.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XVI—Risky Business  
_

* * *

[March 23, 2152 | Esthar, Residential District, Streets | 8:13 PM]

* * *

The streets of Esthar were quiet, testament to the nighttime sky that was just beginning to blanket the city. The occasional car traveled past the figure now driving down one of the residential streets to their destination, but the only sound of note was that of a lone motorcycle making its way through the pristine streets of the city.

Seifer Almasy wouldn't have had it any other way.

It had taken some careful work, but he had arranged a meeting with Katanas DeValle at an informal café in the city to complete the job he was assigned - fearless though he was, Seifer wasn't crazy about the idea of walking into a fully-staffed Garden needlessly. Far too troublesome to bother with, he reasoned, and the DeValle family wasn't known for their abundance of valor. That was just part of the reason he'd assumed Shiro was joking when he had received his orders; he found it hard to believe that someone like Darius would've walked straight into the "heart of the Dragon" for such a proposition.

"Work is work," he muttered to himself as he continued to speed down the increasingly deserted streets of Esthar. Not for the first time, Seifer marveled at how calm Esthar was, the populace generally ignorant to the underworld's intrigues and maneuverings that underpinned society.

He almost felt peaceful.

That is, right before he noticed the ground ahead of him suddenly begin to crack and splinter, sending pieces of the road flying into the air. Seifer quickly hit the brakes on his bike, sending the bike skidding with the screech of rubber on pavement as he slid to a stop just in front of the shattered road. No sooner had he stopped than did the entire section collapse, sending pavement and dirt alike tumbling into a pit that was little more than an open sore in the middle of otherwise pristine pavement.

"The hell...?" he wondered aloud, dismounting from the seat of his bike and stepping around it to peer at the collapsed section of road. It looked like a sinkhole, he noticed, but it seemed too sudden for even that.

Warning bells went off in his mind suddenly, instinct taking over from years of training and combat. Seifer quickly spun around, his white trenchcoat billowing around him as he ripped his gunblade from a sheath at his side - just in time to disperse a Water spell flying at him with a quick swing.

'_Great,' _he thought, lifting the blade back up to a guarded position as he scanned the area for his attacker - or rather, attackers. _'Just can't get my business done without someone trying to off me lately.'_

Sweeping his eyes over the group of four, he assessed them quickly but calmly. On the far left, a lithe man, with white hair, his looks making him appear Estharian in descent. As far as Seifer could tell, he wasn't armed with an obvious weapon. Next in line, an absolute giant of a man, easily six and a half feet tall, with long, brown hair, thick muscles, and what seemed to be a matching, brutish demeanor. He was holding a long spear in his right hand, counter-examining Seifer in kind. Third, a blond-haired female of average height, her arms folded, an air of easy confidence making her stand out a bit more than the others. Seifer noted that she carried a small pair of daggers, one at each side of her waist. Last, and the shortest out the four, was a dark-haired female, her face set into a detached, uncaring frown. Seifer noticed no weapon on her person, similar to the white-haired man.

Seeker, Lancer, Mystique, and Frosty - arguably the four founding members of the Royal Thieves Guild, and all specialists in various forms of Alchemy.

"It appears we're in luck today," the blond female, Mystique, said, looking between her companions. "Not only do we nab ourselves a Holy Stone, we get _Seifer Almasy _himself as part of the deal."

Seifer knew who and what he was dealing with - the intelligence network of the Green Dragons was vast, after all. The Royal Thieves Guild of Esthar, a band of "artifact-snatching, money-grubbing, common thieves," he'd once heard it said. Currently under the employ of one Zeo Conrad of Esthar, not many people knew about the admittedly small group, but the four standing in front of him were definitely well known in the underworld.

"I would've thought Lancer's little trap would've snared you," Mystique continued, taking a few steps forward towards Seifer. "But, you _are _Seifer Almasy...you wouldn't be caught in such an obstacle, am I right? Being an ex-SeeD must have its advantages in your particular line of work."

Seifer snorted.

"That type of amateur trick?" Seifer replied, jerking a thumb towards the pit behind him. "Please. I've seen better from common thugs."

Frosty spared a look over at Mystique then, her expression not moving from the detached frown she held.

"Allow me to make him crispy."

"Cutting straight to the chase, are we?" Mystique replied, turning to her fellow Guild member as she spoke. "I suppose that's a good idea...though, I would've rather had some pleasure before the business."

_(Play: Neo EXDEATH (Final Fantasy V) - The Black Mages: Darkness and Starlight)_

Mystique barely had the chance to finish her sentence before Frosty was on the attack. Pressing her hands to the ground, Frosty watched as a circular wall of fire erupted around the general area, entrapping both Seifer and all four of his attackers within. Her hands rose from the ground an instant later, sending a withering burst of fire towards Seifer. The gunblade-wielder swiftly spun around the burst of magical flame and threw a palm out towards his attacker, sending a Blizzaga spell in her general direction. The ground in front of her shivered suddenly, before rising up into a wall of earth and asphalt that bore the brunt of the paramagical attack. Seifer glanced left, scowling at Lancer, who held both palms up innocently, a smirk on his face.

"Who do you think you're fighting, Seifer?" Mystique asked, smirking as well. "We're not your average group of criminals."

"Fooled me," Seifer replied flatly, retaking his usual fencing-esque battle stance. Mystique's smirk became a scowl as she gestured to Seeker and Lancer, both of whom immediately sprang into action. Red fire flashed around Lancer for a brief moment, the sign of Haste magic cast by Seeker, and Lancer rushed at Seifer with magic-enhanced speed to engage him in close combat. A thrust from the burly Guild member's spear caught nothing but air as Seifer twisted aside, while Seifer's retaliatory stab from Hyperion also met no contact. Lancer followed the attack up immediately with a sweeping slice from his weapon that struck the flat of Hyperion, watching as Seifer shrugged off the strike with his junction-enhanced strength before cutting outwards towards the bigger man's chest. Once again, though, the attack was ineffective as Lancer quickly backed off, lowering the tip of his spear to the ground as he did so.

The ground beneath Seifer shuddered before falling away, the small pit trap appearing near-instantly and almost catching him in its grasp as instinct caused him to leap from his spot...once again towards Lancer, Hyperion flashing out again, managing a shallow cut across the surprised Earth Alchemist's chest. Lancer grunted, raising a hand to the wound on his chest which was beginning to bleed; the injury was far from fatal, he knew, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

Seifer suddenly grunted out of surprise from his standing position, Hyperion's blade dropping to the dirt as he held it - the weapon felt like the weight had suddenly increased several times over in an instant. He strained, lifting the weapon back up with some difficulty, and looked towards the four Guild members to see Seeker's hands glowing with purple energy.

"Like the trick?" Seeker asked Seifer mockingly, grinning. "Bet that weapon's feeling pretty heavy, isn't it?"

Seifer snorted again - he wasn't about to let this group of thieves get the best of him, after all. He had to admit that they had some unusual skills, though. Alchemy wasn't something he'd seen firsthand before, and Gravity-type paramagic wasn't a common skill either.

'_Dammit...I don't have time for this crap,' _he thought to himself...before pausing as a thought struck 's trademark smirk cut across his face as he felt for the power inside himself and began to draw upon some of it. It would take a minute, he knew, but he also knew that he had enough time to spare. His eyes wandered back to Mystique even as another group of fireballs flew in, courtesy of Frosty; the apparent 'leader' of the group hadn't moved a muscle since the fight began, and he wondered if it was merely overconfidence or something more. Hyperion rose - albeit with more effort - to deflect the fireballs, embers dancing around him and nearly blinding him as they collided with the metal of his blade.

"What's the matter?" he called, yelling at Mystique as Hyperion fell again. "Too scared to bother fighting?"

"Quite the contrary," Mystique countered. "Fighting someone like you is...beneath my station, you might say." Seifer frowned slightly at Mystique's counter-statement...before his lips rose back into a grin.

As green energy rose around Seifer, enveloping him and turning his body ethereal, Mystique suddenly realized that she should've taken the former Sorceress' Knight a tad more seriously.

The surrounding area and sky went completely dark, and everything became quiet. The sound of hundreds of flapping wings suddenly cut through the newfound silence, scores of bats converging upon a single point in the sky before seeming to melt into a ball of solid black matter. From the ball emerged a long, clawed foot, followed by another, as the Guardian Force emerged from the dark substance formed by the bats. A creature most aptly described as an archetypical devil, with a fiendish appearance, horned head, barbed tail, and nearly equal shades of black and red skin, it gave a growl with a mouth full of pointed, razor-sharp teeth as it finished lowering itself from the orb.

Diablos.

Looking down upon the four members of the Royal Thieves Guild with contempt, Diablos raised one clawed hand, the appendage piercing and sinking into the black ball above it. Tendrils of energy flowed from its arm into the ball, and it made as if to throw the orb onto the mortals below. The ball seemed to hang in mid-air momentarily, almost stuck to the clawed arm of the Guardian Force, before it broke loose with a roar and sped towards the dirt, enveloping the entire area and crushing everything within except for Seifer with powerful gravitational force.

Its job done, Diablos flipped in the air, dissolving back into dozens of bats that vanished as the area lightened once again. Seifer's body also returned to the physical plane as the summoned creature returned to its place in his mind, and he spared a look over towards his opponents to see all four of them lying on the ground in agony, the majority of their strength sapped from them by the Guardian Force's powerful skill.

_(End: Neo EXDEATH (Final Fantasy V) - The Black Mages: Darkness and Starlight)_

"I'd love to stay and kick you guys while you're down, but I've got other places to be. Maybe another time," Seifer said casually, walking back over to his motorcycle and lifting it off the ground from where it had fallen, shaken from its standing position by the fighting. The cops would be here soon to investigate, Seifer knew, and he didn't want to be around in the middle of it. The bike roared to life as Seifer remounted and turned the ignition, and he gunned the engine before tearing down the street towards the meeting place, leaving nothing but a cloud of exhaust and a section of torn and scorched street behind him to mark his passing.

* * *

[March 23, 2152 | Esthar, Residential District, Ichiraku's | 8:33 PM]

* * *

Seifer pulled into the parking lot of the small Estharian restaurant that was his destination, shutting his bike off and pocketing the key as he glanced at a watch under the sleeve of his trenchcoat.

"Damn...late," he muttered, heading for the door without wasting any time. As relaxed as Seifer was in most things, he hated being late finishing a job - every second wasted was another second in which something could do wrong, after all.

Seifer was greeted with a cheerful 'hello' from an attendant as he entered the restaurant, but he waved it off with no words of his own; he was too occupied with getting this over with. He scanned the tables scattered around the interior of the restaurant, looking for the person he was supposed to meet with...and his eyes narrowed as they did not find that person.

'_Did he not show?' _Seifer thought, momentarily, scanning back over the gathered patrons...before movement caught his eye. It was subtle and indistinct - or would have been if Seifer hadn't received SeeD training. Seifer knew immediately that the movement was the SeeD signal for 'hold fire, friendly unit.' Quietly, he began to walk towards a table with a single figure seated at it, a man with short, dark hair wearing a black duster over his attire.

"Welcome," Angel said, watching Seifer calmly as he took a seat at the table. Seifer decided to go ahead and cut to the chase.

"You're with DeValle?"

Angel nodded.

"He couldn't make it, so he sent me instead. SeeD Commander's a busy lifestyle, after all."

Seifer chuckled, thinking momentarily of Squall and his job at Balamb Garden.

"Of course. So, you're stuck playing delivery boy for the day, then? Must suck."

"It's not as bad as you think," Angel replied, taking a sip from a glass of water in front of him. "The sights are their own reward."

Seifer nodded to the older man, reaching into his pocket and quietly retrieving the small, indistinct form of the Aries Holy Stone.

"Well, tell the Commander that I'm sorry he couldn't make it," Seifer finally said, placing the Stone on the table in front of Angel. The SeeD quietly picked up the Stone, examining it momentarily, before pocketing it and nodding to Seifer, standing up from his chair.

"Will do," he replied. Seifer gave a short nod in response, and Angel began to walk out of the restaurant without any further hesitation. Seifer gave a short sigh as he relaxed, glad to have that spot of business done with.

'_Diplomacy...so boring,' _he mused as a waiter began to head in his direction. Despite himself, he smiled - a drink was sounding very good right about now, and he figured that he'd earned it.

* * *

[March 23, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 8:34 PM]

* * *

Katanas leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced as he faced the familiar Divine Magus in front of him. Kisara said nothing, her face the picture of calm as she watched Katanas' own face - though he wouldn't say it, he was concerned about the information she had just given him.

"The news you bring is...unexpected, to say the least," Katanas said, not moving from his position. "I assume Lady Freya will give warning before she enacts her plans?"

"Certainly," Kisara replied. "It appears that she has both Lord Odin and Lord Xeios watching Fayt at present, however. I am not sure when she plans to take action, though I expect soon."

Katanas allowed a small smile to creep over his face. "You realize that 'soon' is a much different measurement of time for you than us mortals, of course."

"Of course," the female mage replied. "Fayt must be getting restless, however, for the Mistress to be taking action now.

"She must know, though, that not all of the Planeswalkers are potentially up to a task such as this one," Katanas said, finally deciding to voice one of his concerns. "Fayt is, after all, a Pillar of Reality. What does she believe mortals can do in a situation like this one?"

Kisara hesitated, pondering the question, before shaking her head quietly. "I do not know. She must have a reason, I am sure...but Fayt has made it clear that she has a quarrel with one particular member of this order."

"And she believes that Fayt may extend this to all Planeswalkers..." Katanas murmured, looking down at his desk. "This situation has become quite the problem, hasn't it?"

"Indeed," Kisara agreed with a nod. She had seen much despite being relatively young by Ethereal standards, but she had never believed that one of Freya's own would cause so much trouble.

"She must have some reason to believe Fayt may move again soon," Katanas continued, "else she would not have sent you to watch over the current Planeswalkers."

"Fayt has already moved again since our last talk," Kisara replied, Katanas' face turning to a mild look of surprise. "She attacked the third chosen of both our order and that of Soul Society with a summoned creature in this facility's training center."

"I heard nothing about this," Katanas admitted, showing only mild concern at the information. "I assume they survived, then?"

"They did," Kisara remarked. "The third from Soul Society in particular showed great promise with her newfound abilities."

Katanas smiled upon hearing that - he had seen firsthand that she was a skilled fighter, and had once commented that she seemed the type to pick up any skill more quickly than others.

"I would love to continue this conversation, Katanas, but I must check on the others," Kisara suddenly said, looking over at the SeeD Commander. Katanas waved it off with a hand.

"I understand. Business before all else, after all. You'll be around for a while, then?"

"Until the Mistress deems it fit for me to return."

Katanas smiled softly. "I see. Take care of yourself, Kisara."

"The same to you, Katanas," she replied with a smile, vanishing from the SeeD Commander's sight in an instant and leaving him to his thoughts.

'_And so,'_ the SeeD Commander thought languidly, leaning back into his chair, his lips upturned in an easy smile, _'the game truly begins.'_

* * *

Obligatory Bleach reference...made. Now that that's out of the way...

The scene with Seifer was definitely where most of my problems came in. I have never seriously written his character before, so that took getting used to, which caused a lot of the "write/edit/erase" loop that I got caught in. Even now, I'm not sure how well I did, but I think it's at least reasonable. As always, please read and review.


	31. I, II, XVII: Heavenly Gambit, Part I

Well, I never really thought I'd make it this far, but I did. The first major arc will be coming to a close with this, the first of another two-part series. Hopefully, the next chapter will be out around the end of the weekend to wrap this up, but there's a hurricane supposedly blowing in around Saturday, so I can't make any promises.

This chapter, as you'll see below, takes place after a bit of a time skip - about fourteen weeks later, near the end of the specialized SeeD program that the Gardens now run. Credit for that, by the way, is not mine but rather belongs to Peptuck, so a big thanks to him for letting me incorporate that as well.

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XVII—Heavenly Gambit, Part I_

* * *

_Fourteen weeks. Hard to believe so much time has gone by..._

_This new SeeD program they instituted to "fast-track" older students is, from what I heard, a big difference from the normal SeeD training at Garden. Normally, you'd get the equivalent of a full school education along with the SeeD skills and other concepts taught at Garden, but this program is different - aimed at students who don't need all the background, so to speak. Fifteen weeks long, and it's basically a condensed version of the major parts of being a member of Garden. According to what I heard, Balamb Garden reported that they had students coming out of this program at the same level of skill as normal SeeD officers, with very little difference in overall performance, so it's being considered a success._

_The Alchemy program is one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life, too. I'm almost finished with the basic classes, and I'll be starting my specialization in Ice Alchemy in about another week, after the field exam. No one's told us any details on when or where the field exam's going to be, so I figure we won't know until the day before._

_Other than that, I've been relatively glad for the peace and quiet...well, with some exceptions. Every bit of peace seems to always have some kind of trouble associated with it, and this wasn't any different. It was about a week after things seemed to settle down, actually...I didn't completely expect it, but some part of me almost knew it was coming. Rikku came up to me one day and just...ended things. No long, drawn-out affair of dancing around the issue, just a short talk about how things were and how she felt. She said that I didn't feel the same way that I used to about her, that I was focusing more on everything else and less on spending time with her...and I couldn't help but agree. Really, it was the truth...no matter how much it hurt._

_I haven't spoken to her much since then, but whether we're avoiding each other on purpose is debatable. I was surprised that I didn't feel as sad as I expected...maybe it's because everything she said to me was the truth. It really was my fault, and nothing I can do now can change that fact. Sometimes, though, it's just all I can think about, like I just can't get it off my mind no matter what I do. I just hope that if she finds someone else, she'll be happy...really, that's all I can hope for now, I think._

* * *

[June 29, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafeteria | 12:19 PM]

* * *

"Hey, hurry up already. You're going to make us late," Tetsuya says, looking my way from the nearby trash can that he just dumped the last scraps of his food into.

"Sorry," I say, snapping out of my semi-dazed state and dropping my own discarded food into the bin. Tidus and Shuyin, who had for once decided to have lunch with us, exchange looks for a moment but don't say anything directly to me. "I was just thinking, and got a little caught up in it."

"About Rikku, right?" Tidus suddenly asks, causing me to inwardly wince.

"...Yeah."

"It'll be okay, man. You'll see," Tetsuya says, clapping me on the shoulder. "But if we don't get moving..."

"Yeah," I say again, managing a chuckle. "I know. No room for lateness in SeeD."

* * *

[June 29, 2152 | Castle DeValle, First Floor, Training Room Four | 12:28 PM]

* * *

"Headmaster's got quite the ego, don't you think? I mean, Castle _DeValle? _Really," Tetsuya says, looking over at the rest of us as we step through the clear, sliding doors opening into the large classroom and training arena that is our destination.

"Some people play tennis," I say absently, shrugging as I look around the expansive room. Much larger than the normal classrooms inside Trabia Garden proper, the training area looks much like a mix of classroom technology and gym equipment. I can see desks and both a blackboard and wall-mounted video screen on one side of the room, while the other side houses many humanoid dummies mounted on metal posts or suspended from bars, among other things such as weights, tables, and more.

"Hey, isn't that...you know, that one guy?" Tidus says, pointing towards the front of the room. Wondering what in the world he's talking about, I turn my attention towards where he pointed, noticing the students sitting at their desks and the teacher at the front of the room, wearing a long, black duster...

"...Angel?" I ask, all other emotion gone immediately to be replaced by surprise and confusion. At the front of the room, I can see him chuckling quietly to himself as we begin to walk towards the vacant desks nearby.

"You look like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar," Angel quips, still watching me as I walk over to one of the desks near the middle of the room.

"You're teaching. Why wouldn't I be surprised?" I ask flatly, sitting down at the desk and stretching my legs.

"I'm just an adjunct faculty member here," he comments, still smiling. "They don't pay me much."

Rolling my eyes at his words, I flop my head down on the desk, twitching just slightly at the feel of cold metal on my cheek. As much as I like it here at Garden, I just don't feel like being in class today, no matter what it might be. Towards the front of the room, I can hear a shuffling of papers among the light sounds of conversation, and then Angel clearing his throat right before the talking dies down.

"Afternoon, kids. Instructor Georg is out for the day on business, or he'd be here doing this instead of me. Liam Bayloh is my name, and I'll be your Instructor for the day. You can just call me Angel, though, since all my friends do. Come to think of it, my enemies call me that too..."

The halfway-joking look of concentration that crosses his face elicits a few chuckles from some of the gathered students, and he shrugs after a moment before turning his attention back to the class.

"Anyway, enough about me. You guys have stuff to do, and far be it from me to keep you from it," he continues, putting the papers back down on the desk and turning his attention to the chalkboard. As he picks up a piece of white chalk from the tray on the board, I sigh, lifting my head just enough to be able to see the board. Somehow, I don't think today will be a good day after all.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Fayt's Domain]

* * *

The shimmering aura that had surrounded Fayt for a period of time slowly began to subside as the Pillar of Fate awoke from her "trance," and a content sigh escaped her lips as the energy aura completely vanished from her form. She felt much better now after the recharge, though she knew she wasn't completely back to her full strength - that would take a longer rest in Soul Society, she knew, which was more acclimated to that sort of task. But even so, she was certain she was more than strong enough to deal with the pesky problem she had to take care of.

"Let's see just what the silly mortals are up to, shall we...?" she asked, addressing no one in particular, even as her form began to fade from sight. In moments, she had vanished completely from the Ethereal Realm...

...All without noticing the figure that had been watching her.

Then again, for Destine, a practical embodiment of magical energy, hiding your energy and presence from another was a simple task. Even someone as magically attuned as her "sister" couldn't detect her unless she wanted to be found.

"Sis...you really are quite the impulsive fool, aren't you. You don't even bother checking what you might be walking into, no...just waltz right into everything without a care," the Pillar of Destiny said to herself, shaking her head. No, she thought, she wasn't going to be like her little sister. Brashness never got anyone anywhere - it all came down to cunning in the very end.

* * *

[June 29, 2152 | Castle DeValle, First Floor, Lobby | 3:32 PM]

* * *

I can't remember a time water ever tasted so good, personally.

I hadn't figured Angel to be quite the kind of teacher he turned out to be. While I did expect a high amount of skill from him - after all, I've already fought against him once - I didn't quite expect him to be as skilled at _teaching _those same concepts as he was.

"Tired?" I hear Angel say from behind me, chuckling just slightly at the sight of my form hunched over the water fountain outside the room. Sighing in relief and wiping the water from my mouth, I look over at him with a look of mild surprise and disbelief.

"Yes. I'm very tired," I reply flatly, coughing momentarily as I choke on some of the water left over in my mouth. "Did the Headmaster explicitly _tell_ you to torture all of us, or was that just in the plan anyway?"

Angel shrugs. "Hey, I do what I can. You rookies needed help." Turning away from me, he begins to walk away but also motions for me to follow, which I do after a brief moment.

"Gee, you make me feel so much better about my SeeD training so far."

"Well, I guess there is that whole age difference, too," he concedes.

"How much of an age difference are we talking here?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow as I remember his unique...heritage, of sorts. "You only look like you're about 40 or so."

"Oh...about two hundred and ten years, give or take a few," he replies, causing me to blink.

"...Whoa. So you're what, two hundred and thirty or so? Or are you just messing with me?" I counter, looking over at him as we walk out of the castle.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven, actually."

"You don't look a day over a hundred and twenty," I quip, trying to push the surprise away with humor.

"I work out."

That finally does get a laugh from me, and he spares a glance over with a small smile on his face.

"Figure I'll ask, while you're here," he starts, and I stop laughing to pay attention again.

"Hm?"

"I need to make a run to Esthar to pick up some equipment that the Garden ordered, so I figured I'd ask if you wanted to tag along."

Mulling the offer over, I look down at the ground as I walk, considering Angel's words for a few seconds before finally shrugging. "I suppose so. I don't have any more classes today, at least. You're taking your car, I assume?"

Angel nods in response. "Better than walking."

"Remind me why we shouldn't just teleport again?" I ask, halfway joking. Angel's face turns into a smirk at that, and he points ahead to his car, which is sitting just inside the front gates with the top down.

"Style points."

Sighing, I just roll my eyes as I begin to head over to the passenger seat, my voice nearly a deadpan tone. "Of course. It's the car. Chicks dig the car." Angel jumps into the driver's seat as I open the passenger door and climb in, strapping my seatbelt across my chest as he cranks up the engine. The car roars to life, and one of the SeeD on duty at the gate begins to open it in order to let Angel out of the Garden.

"You've never been anywhere with me, have you?" he asks, glancing over.

"Not that I know of," I reply, also looking over towards him. "Why?"

"Just so you know...I drive fast."

Before I can question exactly why he bothered warning me, the squealing of rubber on ground comes from the back tires, an instant before Angel guns the engine and flies out of the gate, headed down the nearby road at a speed well in excess of normal for said road.

"...I can tell," I mutter, trying to ignore the wind rushing past my hair and the general speed we're moving. "So, you're an Instructor here at Trabia too? Why didn't you say anything?" I continue, speaking a bit more loudly so as to be heard over the wind.

"I thought it wasn't all that important," he remarks, shrugging slightly. Shaking my head, I decide to let it drop - no real harm done, after all, unless I count the potential harm that might come from the ride I'm now taking with him.

"So, how long have you been in SeeD?" I ask, trying to make more conversation in the hopes of successfully ignoring the ride itself.

"About five years now," he answers, glancing over for a moment before returning eyes to the road. "Started out at Balamb Garden, and spent most of four years or so there."

"With Squall and the others, right?"

"Yeah."

Nodding slightly, I fold my arms across my chest, looking back out towards the road momentarily. "So, you transferred to Trabia after that, then? The four years, I mean."

"Something like that," Angel replies. "Trabia sent word to Balamb that they needed more instructors after the rebuilding, and Quistis talked to me about taking the teaching exam. Scored high enough to pass, nothing outstanding, and got a job over at Trabia as a part-time faculty member."

"Which, apparently, doesn't pay much," I say with a grin.

"Probably why no one wants to be a teacher," he comments. "Not enough pay."

"And then we have SeeD in general...make decent amounts of money, with the potential risk of dying before you really get to spend any of it," I add. "Remind me why I joined again?"

"Because you like danger, I assume. That's just me."

I pause for a moment, pretending to think, before shrugging and looking over at Angel again. "Probably right."

Moments later, just when I think I'm finally getting used to the rate of speed that Angel is driving at, the little calm I have is quickly shattered by what happens next.

Out of nowhere, a figure appears from thin air and actually _lands on the hood _of Angel's car, still moving at speeds well in excess of safe. It takes just a split second for me to realize who it is, and I can feel my blood turn ice cold as I look up into the face of a smiling girl that I was hoping I'd seen the last of.

"Hello, sunshine," Fayt chirps happily, completely unaffected by the wind blowing past her at probably ninety miles an hour.

"Fayt?!" I exclaim, suddenly jerking in my seat as Angel hits the brakes roughly, the inertia from the sudden slowdown sending Fayt's body flying from the car's hood to bounce and roll on the road in front of us. Angel doesn't stop completely, however, and instead accelerates again in an apparent attempt to hit the Pillar with his car, having seemingly no option left at the moment.

"Hold on," he says calmly, still speeding up...before Fayt disappears from the road, causing Angel to hit the brakes again and send the car into a controlled spin, leaving me at the mercy of momentum as the car does a 180 on the pavement. As my senses come back to me after the short but jarring ride, I can see Fayt standing on the road a short distance away in the direction we came, unhurt completely from her fall and still with the same eerie smile across her features.

"...Can I ask how you managed to do that?" I say shakily, quickly removing my seatbelt and practically leaping out of the car while never taking my eyes off of Fayt.

"Lots of practice," Angel says, taking off his seatbelt as well and placing one foot on the seat before flipping back and over the car to land behind the trunk. It opens a moment later, and Angel steps out from behind it after another few seconds, now sporting a pair of moderately short firearms that I recognize as something similar to the pulse rifles I saw back in Darius' shop.

"Drawing weapons already? What if I'd just come to talk? That wouldn't be very welcoming of you, you know," Fayt comments, still with the same disarming smile.

"Can it," I reply flatly, glaring daggers at the Pillar. "I already _know _you're not here to talk."

Fayt's smile only grows wider. "No, my dear Planeswalker. I'm not here to talk at all. I'm here to ensure your demise."

Before I can even bother questioning what Fayt meant by calling me a 'Planeswalker,' magical energy begins to build up around her, growing steadily with each passing second...and I already have a bad feeling that I'm about to be fighting a losing battle.

_(Play: Confidence in the Domination - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Til The End of Time)_

A volley of shots fly in from behind me, a series of condensed bursts of blue energy that soar from the barrels of the weapons Angel is holding. Each shot knocks Fayt back a step or two, but Fayt really doesn't seem to care too much, despite the fact that I can clearly see large burn marks on her skin and clothing left from each shot.

"Stop."

Fayt's voice is calm, almost self-assured, as she points a finger at Angel. Instantly, reddish-purple energy surrounds him, melding to his body and leaving him frozen completely in place. Focusing, I begin to call up energy for a Dispel spell...

"Bio."

...Right before I drop to the dirt, writhing in pure agony as the poisoning spell seems to light every muscle and tendon in my body on fire all at once. Dimly, I can still hear Fayt talking, as well as what sounds like footsteps in front of me, but I'm in such pain that I can barely find it in me to care.

"Hm...should I take care of you the quick way, and just get it over with, or torture you a little first? You know, make you beg to die before I finally get rid of you?"

Managing to lift my head through the pain, I can see Fayt slowly approaching me, seemingly talking to either me or herself. As I try to muster up enough composure to cast a curative spell over myself, my concentration is broken by the sight of a rolling burst of fire that comes out of nowhere, completely immolating Fayt and causing her to stop her approach. The next thing I feel is an enormous sense of relief as the pain suddenly stops flooding my body, likely the result of Esuna magic.

"Looks like I made it in time," I hear a voice say from behind me, and I look back to see none other than Katanas DeValle standing behind me, along with Angel, now cured of the Time Magic's effect.

_(End: Confidence in the Domination - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Til The End of Time)_

"...Katanas? What are you doing here?" I ask, now becoming more confused by the second. First Fayt shows up after a nearly four-month quiet, and now Katanas, too?

"Save it for later," he replies, looking between me and Fayt. "We have...bigger problems at the moment."

"Oh, look. The almighty Katanas DeValle shows up once again to try and ruin my fun," Fayt mocks, sneering at Katanas. "Too bad I don't plan on leaving this time without finishing what I came here to do."

Katanas sighs, shaking his head and fingering the Alchemic array on one of his gloves. "Then there's only one thing for me to say."

Pulling out a small box from his shirt's chest pocket, he glances up at Fayt, gracing her with a small smile, before pulling out the object within.

The last of the Zodiac Stones left in the mortal realm: the Aries stone.

_"Just as planned."_

* * *

The influence of one of my co-authors (Iron Reaver) should show in the last quote - big Death Note reference there with the last line.

I tried to insert a bit more humor into this chapter as sort of an offset to all the serious, given the nature of the characters interacting. Angel, for all his seriousness, also has a good sense of humor, and I seem to elicit verbal jabs and barbs from anyone I associate with, so it wound up in what I found to be a good mix for the chapter as a whole.

The fight may have cut off short as well, but rest assured, there will be more than enough fighting in the next chapter as Angel, Ben, and Katanas get dirty facing off with the Pillar of Fate. As always, please read and review.


	32. I, II, XVIII: Heavenly Gambit, Part II

I promised that I'd try to get the next chapter out quickly, and I kept that promise. However, I did make a mistake in something last chapter - I initially thought it would be a two-part finale, but it will be three instead.

As a side note, my fellow co-authors and I have opened up a set of forums on our server for discussion of the _Clouded Horizons_ series in general. The link is in my profile, if anyone is interested, and anyone is welcome to join.

That being said, enjoy the second part of the three part arc finale!

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XVIII—Heavenly Gambit, Part II_

* * *

"What kind of trick is this?" Fayt inquires, folding her arms as she watches Katanas. "That measly little rock won't help you, even if it is one of the Holy Stones," she continues, smirking.

"Odd that you, of all people, would be unfamiliar with the strengths and weaknesses of a Zodiac Stone," Katanas says, a surprised look on his face. "As usual, you continue to teach me new things, despite our differences of…opinion."

"If you believe that your 'opinion' will make a difference, you're sadly mistaken," Fayt says, eyeing Katanas warily. "You've simply become another obstacle that needs to be overcome."

"You shouldn't go into battle uninformed of your opposition's capabilities. It could leave you at an unseemly disadvantage. Allow me to demonstrate."

Turning my attention to Katanas, I begin to watch as the object in his hand begins to take on a white shine, outlining it completely in a warm glow of color. Moments later, the color spreads to everyone present, including Fayt, but something odd happens – Katanas, Angel, and I seem to be covered in a green hue, whilst Fayt receives a red tint.

As soon as the light touches me, I feel my senses clear and my fatigue begins to melt away, the feeling akin to waking up after a good night's rest. Fayt, however, seems to be in mild pain from the glow, and my curiosity begins to mount as I continue to watch the Pillar.

"The Lucavi Demon within this particular Zodiac Stone is known as Belias. As you will soon become aware, the knowledge contained within each Stone is quite extensive and, combined both with the Lucavi's own power and the user's ingenuity, can have limitless application," Katanas explains, glancing at Angel and myself. "Using Belias' energy, I can make my allies more coordinated and focused in battle, while simultaneously diminishing the morale, energy, and coordination of my foes."

_(Play: Confidence in the Domination - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Till The End of Time)_

Across from Katanas, Fayt growls angrily, furious at the Flame Alchemist.

"I don't care what kind of power you're using from that piece of rock. I'll crush you right after I finish with these two!" she yells, gesturing at Angel and myself. Instantly, waves of magic strike us, and I can feel my every movement begin to slow, like I'm wading through water. Katanas begins to call up dispelling magic to reverse the affliction, but a burst of Blizzard magic smashes into him before he can finish the casting, sending him to the dirt from the force.

"It doesn't matter what you try. Even here in the mortal realm, limited as I am, I've got far more power than any of you can possibly dream of having," Fayt gloats, smirking again at the three of us. "Now then, where was-"

"Rainbow Seal."

Another voice suddenly echoes through the area, bringing with it the appearance of a multicolored prism of light, unleashing a wave of power that slams into Fayt in a blinding flash. Another, dimmer flash beside Katanas heralds the arrival of a figure that I recognize as the same white-haired woman who was with him the first time Fayt appeared. Quickly, she calls up dispelling magic of her own, removing the Slow spell from each of us, before looking to Katanas.

"My apologies," she says, nodding to the SeeD Commander. "The Mistress requested I inform her when this event occurred."

"I know," he replies. "I'm just glad you made it, Kisara. We'll need the help."

"You most certainly will," Fayt agrees, now no longer smirking, the energy having receded from her form. "Toxify!"

"Reflectga!"

Kisara responds quickly to the magical attack, green shells of energy surrounding us just in time to counter the assault of debilitating effects within Fayt's spell. The barriers shatter under the strain, however, unable to do any more than nullify the spell itself instead of reflecting the effects back onto the caster.

"I'm tired of this," I mutter, looking up at Fayt. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Your death is key to my success," she replies, almost nonchalantly. With a smile, she turns to Kisara, beginning to address her in a thoughtful tone. "Imagine, if you will, the outcry that would be caused by the death of the newest instated Planeswalker, and so soon after his inauguration. Freya would look irresponsible and callous, having allowed her subordinate to die without taking action, and tempers would flare just as they did so long ago with the Gilead Order. With the right provocation, Freya would once again be forced to consider open war upon her realm or rescind her position to those opposed to her actions...allowing me to step in and claim leadership for myself."

"You seriously believe that Freya would ever consider such a thing?" Kisara questions, her tone both objecting and disbelieving at once. Unsure of just what to do in my current situation, I merely continue to listen as the two converse.

"She's done it before," Fayt retorts with a smile, reveling in Kisara's surprised expression. "You didn't know? When the Gilead Order was disbanded, Freya considered appointing Odin or Xeios into her stead, feeling unfit to lead the Realm after that monumental fiasco."

"But...why would the Mistress poss-"

"Kisara!"

Caught up in her surprise, Kisara doesn't notice the burst of Fire magic heading for her until Katanas yells, releasing his own Fire spell to counter the energy in Fayt's spell.

"Almost dropped your guard," Fayt says, somewhat disappointed but still smirking.

"That's it..." I say to myself, bringing my sword back to bear. I still don't have much of an idea as to what they were talking about, but right now I'm not really much for caring. Raising the sword over my shoulder, I dash towards Fayt, vaguely hearing Angel yell for me to stop from behind me.

"Impatient, aren't we?" she asks, before vanishing from in front of me as I bring the sword down, the blade biting into nothing but dirt as she appears beside me. My sword flies out again, this time catching only air as Fayt vanishes again to reappear behind me.

"Stand still, for once!" I yell, spinning and throwing a burst of Thundaga magic at her, only to have her _catch _the magic in her hands, seemingly examining it.

"Paramagic. You mortals really need to upgrade," she comments, before smashing the magic back into my chest and sending me to the ground, stunned from the paralyzing electrical energy. An instant later, I can see a ring of fire appear around Fayt, blocking her off from me as I try to recover. It constricts around her and explodes after a second, bathing her in fiery energy, but she seems only slightly hurt by the fire. Angel begins to move into melee range as I slowly get up, having swapped both of his energy rifles for his twin swords, while Kisara appears to be chanting something in an unfamiliar language.

Angel wastes no time launching into a quick set of maneuvers, slashing out at Fayt with one of his blades only to have her vanish from the path of the attack. When she reappears, however, his other sword is already headed for her, forcing her to duck as the sword passes overhead. Quickly, his left sword comes down again, just shy of her shoulder as she twists aside. She raises a hand to him as the sword passes, sending waves of magic into him that cause him to flinch, jerking back and twitching before falling to a knee from the magically-induced debilitation.

Taking out a few of my throwing knives from their sheathes as I watch Angel stumble, I start to focus on what I learned in my Alchemy classes about creating things from my own energy. It takes a moment, but I'm rewarded with the sight of yellow light appearing around my hands as I'm left holding more knives than I took out. I waste no time throwing them at Fayt, watching as a few of the knives embed themselves into her body in various places as the rest scatter and hit the ground.

"...Irritating," she mutters, looking first at the blood beginning to trickle down from the knives' impact points and then at me. "Scour-"

"Heaven's Wrath!"

Fayt is interrupted in mid-invocation by Kisara's voice, and turns to see the woman glowing a pale shade of white. Overhead, a similar white glow begins to permeate the air, and thunder rumbles before bolts of white energy begin to hammer Fayt, knocking me back and off my feet from the sheer force. The bolts continue to strike Fayt for several seconds, leaving the area around her cratered and burned from the power, before they finally stop to reveal the Pillar once again. She's still standing, but she looks considerably more injured from the attack itself, with pieces of her once-immaculate clothing burned and torn.

"Well...you've actually got some power in you, Kisara," she says, looking past me at the woman, who has fallen to her knees apparently from exertion. "Not _enough_, mind you, but some." Raising a hand, I watch as Fayt levitates a large piece of the broken ground from its place and sends it hurtling at Kisara as Angel goes back on the attack, appearing to have overcome the spell Fayt cast on him. Eyes widening, I burst from my spot, heading towards the kneeling woman and raising my sword as I do.

"Fated Circle!"

Leaping into the air and spinning quickly, I release a circle of energy from the blade of my sword that smashes into the makeshift projectile, reducing it to small chunks of rock and dirt as I land on the ground again.

"For helping us earlier," I say, smiling. Kisara merely nods as Katanas steps in front of both of us, drawing his rapier from his side as he sees Fayt throw Angel away on the end of a burst of Fire magic.

"Looks like I'm up," he says quietly as an amber glow begins to overtake his body, shifting and moving to the blade of his rapier as well as changing color until it shines brightly with a bluish-white aura, signaling Katanas' Limit Break. "Judgment Requiem!"

In a blink, Katanas is gone, leaving my eyes searching for him momentarily until I spot him standing in front of Fayt...and from what I can see, the attack looks like it hit, but nothing is happening.

That is, until I get a closer look, which shows me that not only did the attack miss, but that Fayt is holding the blade of Katanas' rapier in one hand.

"That just might've been messy," she comments, looking down at the blade as it begins to lose its glow. Katanas only seems mildly concerned, but considering that he's never shown any form of worry to date, it gives me a good idea of just how bad things are. He doesn't have much time to contemplate his predicament, however, as he gets sent flying from a burst of Dark-element magic, landing back on the ground in front of us with his rapier landing beside him.

"...She's way more powerful than we are," I mutter, trying to think of some way to turn the situation around. Unfortunately, nothing is coming to mind, and it's beginning to look like I don't have much time left to think.

"You could just give up now, and make this easy. I'll make it painless if you do," she says, looking towards us. Inwardly, I growl, watching as the Pillar begins to walk towards us as if she has all the time in the world...

And then she stops.

_(End: Confidence in the Domination - Motoi Sakuraba, Star Ocean: Til The End of Time)_

Fayt pauses in mid-step, almost looking...spooked by something. Quietly, she looks around, surveying the entire area with a slightly panicked attitude, before turning her attention back to us.

"...I'll deal with you later. Other issues suddenly require my immediate attention," she says, before her body begins to distort, fading out gradually until she's gone from sight.

A relieved sigh is the first thing to come out of my mouth. "I don't know what that was about, but I don't really care right now..."

"Something doesn't seem right..." Katanas says, looking around the area. "Fayt had the upper hand; she wouldn't just leave without a reason or an outside provocation."

"Then what provoked her?" I ask, to which Katanas shrugs.

"I have speculations," he replies cryptically. Kisara looks over at Katanas a moment later, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Katanas. Mistress Freya sent me with a task for these two Planeswalkers."

"Oh?" he asks, looking curious. "What sort of task?"

"I am to escort them to the Ethereal Plane to meet with her. Why, I was not told, but it must be of some import if the Mistress wishes to see them personally."

"Freya?" I ask, the name somewhat familiar but not enough to give me a clear idea.

"Yes. The current ruler of the Ethereal Plane, and a planar leader within this particular reality," Kisara explains. The fayth's words on the subject soon come back to the forefront of my memory, the pieces coming back together in my mind, and I nod.

"Looks like we won't be going to Esthar after all," I comment, looking at Angel, who chuckles.

"And I had an appointment, too..." he mutters, shaking his head. "She could have at least had the decency to get run over."

"Then you are both ready to depart?" Kisara asks, causing me to shrug.

"I've got nothing else to do here, really." Angel just nods in confirmation, putting away his twin blades underneath his duster again.

"Good. We will leave immediately, then," she continues, nodding to Katanas.

"Take care," he says, causing Kisara to smile.

"We shall," she replies, before shimmering white light starts to gather around the three of us. A feeling of weightlessness begins to overtake me, and then a bright flash envelops everything around, turning everything white for an instant.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]

* * *

As the light clears, I find myself standing in a lavishly decorated courtyard with beautiful trees and fountains all around the area, in front of quite possibly one of the largest structures I've ever seen. A beautiful cathedral, reminding me of Gothic architecture and design from history and created out of a polished, obsidian stone, looming above the courtyard we're now in.

"So this...is the Ethereal Plane?" I ask, looking around slowly and taking in all the sights of the beautifully-adorned area.

"It is indeed. Come now, the Mistress is waiting," Kisara says, moving towards the doors of the grand palace in front of us. Silently, I begin to follow Angel inside, almost feeling unworthy to step foot inside the grand place.

As we walk through the palace, I'm becoming more afraid that I'll get lost by looking too much at the surroundings and not enough at where we're going. The walls are lined with sculptures, artwork, and murals of all shapes, sizes, and subjects, from what I can only assume are events from the Realm's history. It's fascinating to look at, and I have to catch up at least twice by getting too interested in the latest object of my curiosity.

At long last, after several long minutes of walking, we come to a large set of brilliantly white doors, a complete change from the dark tones of the rest of the castle. Two figures stand at the door, one on each side, garbed in thick and sturdy looking armor and carrying long spears in their hands. Kisara steps towards the doors, watching as the guards move their spears aside from in front of the doors before they slowly begin to open, apparently of their own volition. Silently, she steps into the chamber beyond, closely followed by Angel. A bit hesitant, I'm last to enter, looking behind me as the doors close ominously once I'm inside.

"I am glad that you have come," a voice says from the back of the room, and I turn to see a blond-haired woman in green robes sitting upon a throne at the opposite wall. "I am Freya, Creator of the Ethereal Plane."

Kisara and Angel immediately bow to Freya, followed by me a split-second later.

"It seems that I have some explaining to do to our newest Planeswalker," Freya continues, looking at me. "What do you wish to know?"

"...I guess I'll start with the obvious question," I say, mostly to myself. "Just what is a Planeswalker?"

"A Planeswalker is a chosen person, either mortal or Ethereal in origin, that is chosen by the leader of a particular realm to act as an emissary to other realms, as well as an extension of that leader's will. A simpler connotation may be a high-ranking subordinate of that leader."

"Okay...exactly why was I chosen, then? I'm just a normal kid, so why didn't you pick someone more talented than me for this?"

"Talent is measured in many ways. Physical talent is only part of that measurement. What you lack in physical talent, you may make up for in mental talent, or vice versa. Planeswalkers are not chosen just on their current talents, as well, but also their future potential."

I don't say anything for a moment, thinking about Freya's words and just what they mean to me. Several seconds later, I look back at Freya, my next question coming to me.

"Why is Angel here? He's also involved in this somehow?"

"He is also a Planeswalker, like you. He was chosen from Gaia's nineteenth order, whereas you were chosen from the twenty-first," Freya replies, eyes moving to Angel and then back to me as she speaks.

"Okay...so then, we're here because of something to do with Fayt, I take it?" I ask, putting the pieces together.

"Correct."

As she speaks, the doors behind us open again, letting two figures into the room. One is a large figure, dressed in heavy armor and with curved horns atop his head. At his side is a large, strangely jagged blade that I recognize instantly, along with the figure himself - Odin, with his sword, Zantetsuken.

The other figure, I don't recognize immediately. Dressed in a white cloak or robe of some kind, the figure holds a long, oaken staff in his hands, the long white hair and beard giving him the appearance of a magician of sorts, like Merlin from the legends of King Arthur.

"Consider this a test of your ability as a Planeswalker. In your role as an emissary of the Realm, you will be placed in situations larger than you may first believe yourself capable of handling. How you handle yourself in those situations says a great deal about your capability as a whole," Freya explains calmly. "These two are Odin and Xeios, my advisors and leaders of the realm's forces in times of war. Fayt's actions have been made known to me in full, as well as her reasoning for such. My task for you two is to accompany Odin and Xeios in defeating Fayt and bringing about the end of her plans."

The words sink in as I continue to listen to Freya, and I suddenly realize what she meant by her earlier statement. This is a much bigger problem than I've ever been involved in before, and I'm a little unsure if there is really anything I _can _do.

"If that is your wish," Angel says, nodding to Freya. He doesn't seem worried in the least...and I suddenly feel a little ashamed of myself for being so doubting.

"Okay. If you want me to go, I'll go. We'll make Fayt turn over a new leaf," I say, pushing my doubts aside. After all, if the Creator seems to think that we can do what she asks...who am I to think she's wrong?

"Odin and Xeios will be accompanying you, so you should not be afraid. They will keep any harm from coming to you. Focus on what you have to do, and let the Realm itself guide your actions," Freya says, looking over the two of us. "Go now, and may the Ethereal Plane watch over you always."

Angel bows again, and I also bow along with Kisara as Odin and Xeios approach the two of us, both seeming to evaluate me as they walk.

"He seems capable enough, even if does appear less sturdy than most," Odin says after a pause, stopping just in front of us.

"We will soon see how capable he is," Xeios replies in a low, yet commanding voice as he looks towards Odin.

"Come. We have much work to do," Odin continues, turning and beginning to exit the chamber. Not wanting to be left behind, I quickly follow the large warrior, hoping that I have half the confidence that everyone seems to have in me.

* * *

Well, we're almost at the end now. Only one more part to go - the big showdown with Fayt in the Ethereal Plane itself. I'll do my best to have it out by Friday, but with college looming over me now, I won't say that for sure. As always, please read and review.


	33. I, II, XIX: Heavenly Gambit, Part III

Well. Finally, here we are at the end of the second part. I had bits of varying trouble writing this, from a small bout of writer's block to college tests to sickness, but I finally got it done. I tried to make this chapter as good as I could possibly make it, due to this being one of the first major finales that will be written, and I hope it lives up to expectations. Enjoy!

* * *

_Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story_

_Chapter XIX—Heavenly Gambit, Part III_

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]

* * *

_(Play: Sacred Moon - Yoko Shimomura, Kingdom Hearts II)_

"So, what kind of trouble has Fayt been causing here?" I ask as the four of us walk through the expansive castle.

"Next to none, that most have seen," Xeios responds, looking over to me. "She has been low-key in her affairs, but it has been reported that she has been stirring unrest against Freya with those who already feel strongly against her position as leader."

"That stops here," Odin adds. "More turmoil in the realm is something that we can ill-afford."

"Doesn't look very unruly to me," I comment, shrugging slightly.

"That's because Lord Odin does his job well," Angel says from beside me, speaking up for the first time since leaving Freya's chamber.

"Oh?"

"Lord Odin is what you might consider a peacekeeper of the Realm," Xeios explains. "As the leader of the Ethereal forces, he has command over all military forces. To upset the peace is to call that might down upon you, and as such, that threat keeps most open action quelled."

"I almost feel sorry for Fayt, then," I say, joking mostly in an attempt to hide my own worries.

"Do not underestimate the Pillar of Fate. If you do, it will be the end of you," Odin says bluntly. "There is a reason that Freya requires our combined presence to deal with her."

Quietly, I nod, feeling a fresh wave of fear shoot through me momentarily. Fayt was already outclassing all of us on Gaia, so how much more powerful is she up here, I wonder?

"We'll get it done, you know," Angel reassures me. "If anyone can, it's these two."

"Yeah...I hope so. By the way, Angel...Freya said you were a Planeswalker too, right?"

"That's right."

"Do you come here often? To the Ethereal Plane, I mean. You look a little uncomfortable," I comment, causing him to look away and suddenly take an interest in the paintings on the wall.

"Not often. I don't like spending time here, even if my status lets me - it feels like my being here is a…desecration to the plane. The feeling is worst here, inside this palace."

"Oh…sorry," I say, now regretting bringing the subject up. Angel waves it off as we keep walking, following us as we reenter the main hall where I can see the large, ornate doors of the palace. Odin steps up to the doors, easily pushing them open with as little effort as I might open a door at Garden.

_(End: Sacred Moon - Yoko Shimomura, Kingdom Hearts II)_

"Fayt will be expecting us, so we must make sure we are prepared," Xeios says as we exit the palace, stepping back into the courtyard outside. "This will not be an easy fight for any of us."

"I'm ready," Angel says without hesitation.

"No sense waiting any longer," I remark with a shrug. "If you're ready, I am too."

"Then we wait no longer," Xeios agrees. With a nod to Odin, the old mage raises his staff above his head, causing it to glow with energy before the four of us vanish in the blink of an eye.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Fayt's Domain]

* * *

I'm greeted by the sight of a nearly endless expanse of blue sky and white clouds, looking down upon a field full of green grass and flowers as we arrive in another part of the Ethereal Plane, much different than the lavish palace we were at moments ago.

"So, this is...Fayt's little part of the realm?" I ask, looking around at the seemingly unending field around us.

"You would be correct," Odin says. "Each Pillar maintains their own sub-plane, free to shape and mold as they wish."

"Isn't it lovely? I decorated it myself, you know."

All eyes scan the area briefly as a voice cuts through the silence, before finally settling on the familiar, child-like figure of Fayt, standing calmly amidst the field of flowers.

"I doubt you're here to give suggestions for the decor, though. Looks like you decided to follow me here after all, little Planeswalker. And you brought friends, too...you really shouldn't have."

Odin steps forward, his stride purposeful and resolute. "Fayt. You are to cease all hostilities immediately and hand yourself over to the judgment of Her Majesty. You are charged with high treason, conspiracy to overthrow your sovereign, murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation, and illegally meddling in the affairs of the mortal realm. What is your response?"

It becomes silent for several long, tense moments, Fayt appearing as if she was seriously consider her response…before merely shrugging as light begins to gather around her, beginning at her feet and moving upwards slowly. As it does, she begins to change radically in physical appearance. Her clothes turn from the simple shirt and skirt she was wearing to a more elaborate and colorful loose-fitting robe of sorts, tied at the waist with a red sash, and her very form shifts into that of an adult woman with shoulder-length dark hair instead of the brown-haired little girl she was moments ago.

"Consider this my response."

_(Play: Those Who Fight Further - Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui; The Black Mages)_

"Suffer!" Fayt cries, her hands glowing as she lets fly with a brutal assault of spells – Blind, Silence, and Meltdown, as best I can tell – towards Odin and Xeios. Even as she does that, I notice a sickening looking cloud of green haze beginning to envelop her, likely some kind of poison. Immediately, I find myself wanting to curse, as the poison will make my melee skills either too dangerous or outright deadly to use. Despite that, I still take one of my swords from its sheath, deciding to wield it two-handed for more power and control.

Beside me, Xeios spins his staff in a circle as a shield of force appears, resisting the status spells and causing the Meltdown to explode around the shield, passing by both of the Ethereal warriors harmlessly. Odin goes on the attack as soon as the spell dissipates, leaping in and swinging his curved blade towards Fayt's chest in a vertical arc that misses as the Pillar of Fate spins aside from the strike, blasting Odin in the face with a Fire spell in retaliation.

Seeing an opening, both Angel and I begin to attack, with Angel pulling out one of his pulse rifles from beneath his coat and opening fire. I pull out a handful of knives and throw them, watching as they multiply and become enchanted with electrical energy as they fly towards Fayt. Sneering, she turns to us and watches almost condescendingly as both Angel's pulse rifle blasts and my knives bounce harmlessly off a barrier of energy around her.

"You mortals are playing in my court now," she intones, smirking. "You're nothing more than bugs to be stepped on."

She ducks immediately after finishing her statement, narrowly avoiding being beheaded by the Zantetsuken as Odin swings again, the warrior growling as the more agile Pillar leaps away, preparing more magic in her hands.

"Safeguard," Xeios says from beside me, raising his hand to both Angel and myself and casting a spell over us. "You'll be resistant to the poison now, but only for a short time. If you're going to attack, move quickly!"

I nod, listening to the elder mage's words, before turning to Angel and beginning to prepare magic of my own. "If you've got anything in that bag of tricks of yours, now would be a great time for you to use them!" I say, glancing back at Odin and his continued attacks on Fayt. "Doublecast: Haste, Aura!"

Both a faint red and brighter yellow aura cover my body for an instant as I watch Odin smash Fayt away with a powerful strike, the sword's blade slamming into the Pillar's chest and sending her flying easily several yards away. Her body crushes flowers beneath her as she bounces across the dirt before rolling to a stop.

"Insolent…" I hear Odin mutter from his position, looking down at the fallen female. "Cease your games."

"Why Odin, I never knew you cared," Fayt says as she rises back to her feet, sporting a long tear across her loose-fitting clothing but seemingly uninjured otherwise. The feel of magic in the area suddenly rises again, and Xeios sends a torrential wave of water towards Fayt, drowning both the ground beneath her and the Pillar of Fayt herself in the magical liquid. An instant later, he places his hand within the water, not yet receded, and bolts of lightning turn the entire flooded area into an electrified field of water, shocking the Pillar even as the force continues to push her away.

"Definitely need to practice more with my magic…" I mutter, watching the water continue to churn for several seconds before receding into the ground, leaving only Fayt lying on the ground and looking decidedly worse off than when she began.

Tendrils of energy suddenly snake out from Fayt's position, wrapping around Xeios and lifting him into the air before beginning to smash into his body with ferocity, both attacking physically and with bursts of varied status magic and elemental energy. Odin wastes no time beginning to sever the tentacles with Zantetsuken, but still more begin to fly from Fayt's position, forcing not only Odin but Angel and I to defend ourselves. Puffs of dispersed energy erupt all around me as I sever one tentacle, seeing Odin slash two more in half before leaping above a third and stabbing it into the ground. My sword comes across in a sweep to cut one tentacle apart before a second slaps me away, sending me flying head over heels along the ground with surprising force. The Aura spell also dissipates from my body as I hit dirt again, leaving me with only the Haste magic I cast.

Even as I hit the ground, Angel gets a chance to strike, cutting apart two tentacles in one fluid motion before leaping for Fayt and crossing the distance between him and her in barely a second thanks to his great strength and speed. Both his swords fly from beneath his coat, in his hands in a blink, and he begins to slash at Fayt, cutting into her side before she can react and dodge the second blade headed for her chest.

"This isn't your fight, _vampire_!" Fayt yells, focusing and beginning to heal the now-bleeding wound even as she simultaneously lashes out with a burst of Holy-element magic that whizzes by Angel's shoulder. Angel doesn't respond, but instead pulls a pair of short blades from his coat, lunging quickly and stabbing them into Fayt's arm and shoulder before leaping back, magic readying in his hands.

"Thunder II!"

The electrical magic leaps near-instantly from Angel's hands to the blades embedded in Fayt's body, acting as conductors and causing her to twitch and shake from the energy as well as grunting in slight pain, letting us know that she at least felt the attack.

"Banish IV!"

I look over as I finally get to my feet to see Xeios following up Angel's attack. Pointing the tip of his staff towards Fayt, Xeios watches as swirling white energy pours from it and forms into a wave of power that engulfs Fayt, imploding upon her in a brilliant flash. When it clears a second or two later, Fayt is still standing, but she looks either somewhat fatigued or in pain now - which, I can't say.

"You can still surrender and make this easy on yourself," Odin intones, his voice booming above the sounds of combat.

"Surrender for what? To go back to an arbitrary and apathetic ruler? The Ethereal Plane needs _change_, Odin, and it's time for someone to bring that change into existence!" Fayt yells, glaring at Odin as she clenches her fists then thrusts both hands forward. A multitude of orbs composed of what look like pure energy begin to rise from the ground, circling around Fayt before speeding off in varied patterns, headed straight for each of us. One spins around me, bouncing off my sword as I block without a sound, before another smashes into my back suddenly with an equal lack of sound but far greater effect. Coughing, I stumble and fall to a knee, stunned not so much by the force of the impact but by the power contained inside the orb being released all at once in such close proximity. Beside me, I can hear a grunt as two of the orbs impact Odin at the same time, and Xeios' staff clatters to the ground as he also staggers, stricken by another of the many orbs.

One more floats in from in front of me, and I lift my blade from my kneeling position in an attempt to block, only to have the orb zigzag around it and impact my shoulder. For a moment, I'm surprised that there was no force in the strike, right before I realize the true intent as a sickening wave of nausea passes over me in an instant. The majority of my lunch for the day is promptly deposited onto the flowered ground as I try to stand back up, noticing Angel out of the corner of my eye standing still as several orbs circle around him, reflecting off of a blue barrier of energy around him as they try to attack. A mere second later, green balls of pure energy revolve around Angel before vanishing, and I watch silently as all four of us become translucent, taken to another plane of existence as the clouds begin to swirl overhead.

A break in the clouds suddenly appears, growing and widening at a fast rate as light begins to shine down from the new opening in the clouds. As one, four figures descend down from the light - one, a dragon a bit smaller than Bahamut, and the other three appearing to be some kind of cloaked, angelic figures with broadswords in their hands. The dragon hovers above momentarily as white energy gathers in its clawed hands, while the three other figures take up a formation in front of the dragon, holding their swords out to form a Y-shaped formation. The energy around the dragon's claws finally reaches its peak, and it lets loose two glowing beams of Holy energy that fly towards the swords that the three figures are holding, impacting them in a bright flash...and causing all three of the figures to vanish as the two beams turn into a shower of bright energy blasts that rain down, hammering Fayt and the ground around her with raw Holy power.

All the energy suddenly disperses violently, however, revealing Fayt's scowling form in the epicenter of the blast radius, covered in a now-fading barrier of energy and looking decidedly ticked off. The energy from the barrier begins to melt back into the very ground itself as the four of us return to the physical plane, just in time to witness Fayt let loose with a barrage of varied spells, splitting her attacks evenly among each of us.

Still feeling weak from the sickness that was cast on me, I try to stand up to block the spells headed for me...only to have another wall of force appear in front of me to reflect them. My head snaps over, expecting to see Xeios' staff pointed towards me after a cast spell from the mage, but he's still focused on deflecting the spells Fayt is blasting him with. Unthinking for the moment, I cast an Esuna spell on myself to try and ward off whatever sickness Fayt might have inflicted on me, before shakily getting to my feet. If Xeios didn't cast the spell, then who did?

"You mortals really need to learn how to fight," a voice comments, both distinctively female and decidedly not Fayt's. My eyes move towards the source of the voice, coming from behind me, and I blink in momentary shock as I see who spoke. A dark-haired woman in black clothing, with strange vein-like markings on her face is standing behind me, lowering one hand - placing her as the one who cast the spell.

"Pillar of Destiny...why are you here?" Xeios asks, turning towards the female as both Odin and Angel go back on the attack, showering Fayt with a variety of melee blows from all directions that the Pillar is hard-pressed to avoid and deflect.

'_Another Pillar...? How many are there?'_

The woman - now identified as the Pillar of Destiny - begins to walk up to Xeios calmly, glancing over towards Fayt momentarily as Odin gets thrown back violently from a searing burst of magical energy.

"Why, to give my assistance, of course." With a strangely sweet smile, she looks over at me, sending a chill down my spine for a brief moment. "Pay attention, Planeswalker. It's not _always _just about the power. Sometimes, it's the execution."

Her hand rises again, this time in Fayt's direction, and I can both see and feel the magical energy building up around her. Backing away, I throw up a Shell spell around myself, just in case - I have no idea what this Pillar is about to do, after all. A few seconds later, I get my answer as a variety of magic springs from her fingers towards her fellow Pillar. Angel leaps agilely out of the way as fire springs up all around Fayt, slowly enclosing her in a scorching wall of fire, even as electrical energy leaps _over _the wall, shocking Fayt to the core and causing her to cry out in pain. Ice rains down above Fayt as the fire continues to encroach upon her now partially paralyzed form, stabbing and slicing her with shards of hail as sharp as knives right before the fire touches her body and sets off a tremendous conflagration, with elemental energy roaring everywhere around the epicenter of it all.

A flurry of spells - Meltdown, Bio, and Silence among them - flies from the storm of elemental power as it begins to subside, with the Meltdown slamming into Destine before she can react and opening her up to the rest of the spells in the barrage. Fayt steps out of the scorched and torn area, covered in burned patches of both skin and clothing and still twitching a bit from the lightning, but manages to glare at the Pillar of Destiny.

"This isn't your business, _sis_," she spits, venom in her voice as she watches the dark-haired woman. "Walk away."

Odin and Xeios seem to tense up, both combatants ready to make a move but also seemingly unsure as to whether to stop or aid the Pillar of Destiny. The woman scoffs at Fayt briefly, before once more glancing to me.

"However, sometimes it _is _all about the power," she comments, adding on to her earlier statement as a bright orange glow begins to overtake both of her hands. "Scathe!"

The glow around her hands vanishes, and a disc of energy with the same orange color appears in the air over Fayt, hovering momentarily before discharging a stunningly powerful blast of energy that rips and tears at the Pillar of Fate's whole body. Her cries of pain are the only thing louder than the sound of the discharging magical energy, and it takes several seconds for both the spell and the cries to silence themselves once again, leaving Fayt to sink wearily to the ground on her knees. She's breathing heavily now, something that she wasn't doing during the entire fight with Odin and Xeios, and seems to be in quite a bit of pain from just two attacks by her fellow Pillar.

"You've...ruined everything..." Fayt rasps, still managing to turn a hateful eye on the woman.

"Except for maybe your life," the Pillar of Destiny comments offhandedly, before pausing. "Oh, wait. I ruined that too."

Fayt just lets out a scream of rage in reply, lunging forward in an attempt to get at her fellow Pillar by any means. Odin, now sporting some scorched clothing and scuffed armor, acts quickly in response, lunging into Fayt's path and slamming the hilt of the sword into her stomach. Her forward momentum arrested suddenly, Fayt lets out a mixture of a cough and a pained grunt as the wind is forced from her lungs. Odin elects to not do anything else, merely letting Fayt collapse back to the ground rather than continuing to attack. Another orb of energy begins to build around the Pillar of Destiny's hand, however, showing that she seems to have no qualms with trying to incapacitate or kill her counterpart.

"Odin. Destine. Cease your attack."

_(End: Those Who Fight Further - Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui; The Black Mages)_

Before she can attack again, though, a familiar voice rings through the area, giving way to Freya's presence an instant later.

"Lady Freya," Odin acknowledges, immediately lowering his weapon and standing aside for Freya to step towards Fayt, who stops several feet away from her.

"Fayt," Freya begins, glancing down at the fallen Pillar. "Why did you not simply surrender yourself to Odin?"

"I don't need to bother explaining to you," Fayt counters, malice in her voice. "You've got Will's counsel. You should already know."

"That may be true, but this particular piece of knowledge eludes me."

"What was I supposed to do? If I had surrendered, who would've been left to finally bring some change to this place? You? Don't make me laugh!" Fayt yells, furious.

"Are you so unhappy with my rule?" Freya asks, unflinching at Fayt's words. Fayt doesn't actively say anything, but her eyes say enough. Freya just sighs, folding her arms.

"In time, you will learn to see why I have taken the actions I have, and maybe understand what might have transpired had I chosen otherwise," Freya continues, speaking like a mother to a child. "For now, however...I suppose I have no choice."

As Freya finishes speaking, she folds her hands as if in prayer, chanting something in a voice almost too low to hear but definitely not in any language I'm familiar with. Fayt takes a hesitant step back, shying away from the Creator and looking decidedly unsure of what turn of events things are about to take.

"Fayt, for your crimes against both the Ethereal Plane and my subjects, I hereby remove your powers as a Pillar of Reality until I deem you fit to serve in that respect once again."

Fayt doesn't even get a chance to object before Freya unclasps her hands, lifting one hand up towards Fayt as if gesturing for her to come forward. Fayt suddenly freezes against her will, crying out in protest as a white glow begins to envelop her body, flowing off of her body and back into Freya's hand like it has a will of its own. Several seconds pass before the transfer of power stops, and Fayt sags, but remains standing in Freya's presence.

"You may remain within this plane, but I advise you to be wary of your actions," Freya says, the light around her hand vanishing. Fayt doesn't say anything in response, clearly too shocked or angered to bother with words, but immediately vanishes from sight instead of staying any longer. Satisfied, Freya turns to Odin and Xeios.

"You have both done well," she continues, watching as both her subjects bow before her. "Fayt's plans are broken, and the realm will once more be at peace."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Odin says, lowering his head in respect. Destine takes the moment to also bow in respect to Freya, looking up with an expression of apathy.

"May I be excused from these proceedings, Mother?" Destine asks, her voice somewhere in between true respect and mocking disregard.

"As you wish," Freya replies calmly. Destine doesn't reply, but gives me a final, unreadable smile before her body seems to vanish in a puff of magical energy.

"As for you two," Freya starts, turning to myself and Angel, "you have also done well. Liam Bayloh, you are ever the brave warrior, I see."

"I appreciate the compliment, Lady Freya," Angel says, also bowing out of respect to Freya.

"Benji Powell, my newest Planeswalker...your actions were sufficient to succeed in the task you were given. However, you seemed rather hesitant to face Fayt in combat," Freya says, turning to me.

"...I mean no disrespect, Lady Freya, but I _am_ just a mortal. It's hard for me not to be a bit scared at the idea of fighting a goddess, essentially," I reply after a moment's hesitance, also bowing.

"I understand that, certainly. I will say it again, though - as a Planeswalker, you may not know the true danger of any given task you are faced with. If you do not believe in your own abilities, you may fail in your task before you even begin. Fear is a natural reaction, but you must not let that same fear control you."

Silently, I nod, knowing that Freya is exactly right. I wasn't just hesitant, I was afraid to face Fayt down, even with Odin, Xeios, and Angel with me. I can feel myself starting to get a bit angry at being so cowardly, but bite back the feeling. It won't do me any good to get mad at myself - I'll just have to work harder in the future.

"Your task for me is finished," Freya continues, back to looking between both Angel and myself. "You may return to the mortal realm when you are ready, with my thanks."

With that said, Freya, Odin, and Xeios all teleport away, leaving Angel and I alone in the battle-torn field.

"So, care to show me around this place? I'm sure there's a lot left that I haven't seen, and I better get used to it if I'm going to be working for Freya, right?" I ask, smiling. Angel chuckles.

"Believe me, there's a lot more than this. I'll fill you in on some of the details as we go," he replies, nodding.

"You'd better, since you've been doing this about two hundred years longer than I have," I say with a laugh. I'm tired from all the excitement, but I don't feel like relaxing one bit, what with a whole new realm to learn about.

Somehow, I think I could grow to like this line of work.

* * *

And there you have it. Fayt's plans have finally been derailed for good. I had a lot of difficulty when it came to writing the battle in this section, because I felt that it needed to live up to a sort of "higher standard," given that it's not just mortals fighting it out this time - it's several upper-class beings as well this time around. Whether I succeeded in hitting that standard is left up to you readers.

Next chapter begins an entirely new arc and a shift back to affairs of the mortal realm, at least for the immediate time being. As always, please read and review.


	34. I, III, I: Opposing Viewpoints

This chapter marks the beginning of the third and last part of the first book of the story. Also, this chapter and the few after it will be a little different than usual because it's more military-based, as this is the introduction to the SeeD field exam. I haven't written much military-style action, so you'll have to correct me if something is glaringly wrong. That being said, on to the chapter itself.

* * *

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery  
_

_Chapter I—Opposing Viewpoints_

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Galbadian Central Military Command | 3:14 PM]

* * *

General Hibrom Caraway, the current Galbadian Army Chief of Staff, was a very unhappy man at present - not that he didn't have an extremely good reason to be displeased.

Standing in the middle of the main operations room at GCMC, as it was often abbreviated to, he watched and listened intently as radio transmissions and transcripts flowed into the room like water, dozens of technicians and officers moving around in the large room. Even with such a large workspace, Caraway was beginning to feel a bit cramped. Maybe it was the stifling feel of command, he reasoned.

"Status report!" he barked suddenly, causing several officers, a single-starred general chief among them, to turn his way. The general quickly stepped over to where he was standing, the nameplate on his uniform identifying him as General Alex Rustov.

"Sir!" the Galbadian general said, saluting crisply to his superior. "We're still working on distribution of the received transmissions to the remainder of the command staff. No new transmissions have come in since 1430 hours." Caraway nodded to Rustov; he had expected that. They'd already been notified once with demands, so why give the enemy a chance to pin down their position through communications, now that they were ready to do so? Sighing, Caraway began to run through the events that had happened just barely a half-hour ago in his mind.

* * *

–_Flashback–_

_The Galbadian Presidential Palace, while not quite as extravagant as the one in Esthar, was still leagues above the general quality of housing in Galbadia City. Originally Deling City, the city had been renamed when Vinzer Deling's son took office, but many people still called it by the old name out of habit._ _One of the rare exceptions to the city's atmosphere of nighttime activity, dozens of people could be seen entering and leaving the elegant building. There was to be a meeting of several province heads on the Galbadian continent very soon in the day, and every foreseeable countermeasure and preparation was being taken. All around the perimeter, highly-trained Galbadian soldiers could be seen patrolling, each carrying standard issue M4 Carbine assault rifles, produced by the Galbadian company of Videlic Arms, as well as a sidearm and backup knives in the event of disarming. On the roof, several figures could faintly be seen, each carrying a long rifle in their hands - the PSG-1 sniper rifle, also a Videlic Arms manufactured weapon. The Presidential Palace was, rightfully, the most well-guarded complex in Galbadia._

_No one in that building ever expected those same defenses to turn against them._

_Snipers on the roof suddenly abandoning their routes, soldiers leaving their posts without permission. It was well-orchestrated, clean, and covert. No one knew what was going to happen, past those involved, until it was too late._

_In the span of a single hour, the Presidential Palace of Galbadia had been taken over by the very soldiers that had protected the building._

* * *

Caraway grimaced, despite himself. Everyone had been caught off guard by the takeover, civilian and military alike.

* * *

_Caraway had been out of his house and to the operations center in minutes, his car weaving and flying through the minimal traffic on the city streets with the greatest of ease. When he arrived at the command post for the Galbadian military, he had entered to find the scene one of utter chaos. It had taken him a few minutes to accurately get an idea of what was going on, but some facts were clear. The Presidential Palace had been compromised, with the status of any personnel in the area unknown, as well as the status of the politicians and leaders inside. No one was claiming responsibility, but Caraway figured it was only a matter of time. No one did something like this without desiring to be known for it, he mused._

"_Sir! We've got a transmission coming through! It's from the Palace!" a young major, no more than twenty-five, had said to him, sending the older man moving quickly to a communications console, where a transmission was slowly breaking through. As the image resolved, General Caraway found himself staring at a middle-aged man, likely near his forties, with short-cropped black hair, brown eyes set into an impassive stare, and a Galbadian uniform of red, placing him as a commanding officer - and, judging from the ranking pips on his shoulders, a Lieutenant General at that. Caraway waited for the omnipresent Galbadian salute from the man, but it never came...the beginnings of the first sign that Caraway saw as something being wrong with the situation. Galbadian soldiers were known for being extremely loyal to their commanding officers, saluting and retaining discipline in even the harshest of situations. For someone of such a high rank to not salute the Chief of Staff was not only unthinkable, but it was eerily out of place._

"_Hello, General Caraway," the man began, his voice a low and deathly tone. "I doubt you recognize my face - you high-ranking brass _never _do - so I'll begin by introducing myself. My name is Marcus Duran, Lieutenant General of the Galbadian Republic Army..."_

_The camera that was casting the transmission panned out suddenly as Duran spoke, allowing Caraway to see the full background behind the man. What he saw appalled him. Blood splatters laced the ornately-designed and decorated room, with bodies of several Galbadian soldiers and even a civilian or two lying in various positions around the room, blood pooling around their bodies and staining their clothing._

"_...and you are going to listen to what I have to say, or else your country will lose fourteen of its most _brilliant _leaders."_

"_What the hell do you think you're doing, Duran?!" Caraway exclaimed, disgusted by the actions of one of his own. "Does the oath of loyalty you took mean nothing to you?!"_

"_Not when the Hyne-damned government has no loyalty of its own!" Duran retorted, his voice raising to a yell._ _"You know firsthand that the government doesn't give a rat's ass about anything but lining their own wallets! Think back, Caraway, back to all the dealings that Vinzer Deling made with the Sorceress. All for the sake of more power, more glory, more money...and at what cost? Thousands of our young men and women died fighting battles that they had no business fighting in the first place! It started at Dollet, but where will it end? Will his son throw our armies against _Esthar _just to prove a point?!" the Lieutenant General raged, eyes filling with malice and hate as he continued to rant._

_Caraway's eyes narrowed to slits. "You know perfectly well that Deling wouldn't be that much of a fool."_

"_Do I? Hell, his father let the Sorceress throw our military against _SeeD_, of all organizations! Do you know just how many of our brave men and women we lost that day, Caraway? Do you?"_

"_Two thousand, seven hundred and eighty four." Caraway's eyes were impassive. "Not all of us are as uncaring as you seem to believe. I lost good friends that day...I won't ever forget just what happened the day that our military took on SeeD. But is that an excuse for murder,_ _Duran? Is it?"_

"_It doesn't matter. If this is the only way to make the government stand up and pay attention, then so be it," Duran replied, the voice of a man committed to his course no matter the cost. "My demands are simple. Within the next two hours, I demand the public resignation of Vinzer Deling Jr., as well as his entire advisory staff. If two hours go by, and this demand is not met, then I will begin executing the hostages I have here, one per hour."_

"_You're crazy," Caraway breathed, looking at the viewscreen. "Deling will never agree to that!"_

"_If he values the lives of his fellow leaders, then he _will _resign. Two hours, Caraway...no more, no less."_

_The transmission cut off abruptly with those words, the Lieutenant General's face disappearing from the screen and causing Caraway to yell angrily. The President needed to hear of this, and quickly._

–_End Flashback–_

* * *

Caraway's thoughts returned to the present as more pieces of data began to come into the command center, reports on the amount and composition of the troops that composed the guard for the Palace. Just over two hundred soldiers, all in all, split into many different specializations. Snipers, demolitions teams, basic infantry, even a few special operations soldiers and Galbadian paratroopers. Whatever kind of force Duran had managed to wrangle together, it was diverse as well as large - approaching the upper limit of a company's size, in fact. And in a single building, sending in forces of his own would be like leading lambs to the slaughter.

The General pushed the immediate thoughts of the troop strength out of his mind as he sat down to one of the communications console. A direct line was set up between the President's residence and Galbadian Central Command for use in times of emergency, and Caraway thought that this qualified. It took a minute, but the familiar face of their leader, Vinzer Deling Jr. appeared on the screen, his short black hair looking a tiny bit disheveled but still very neat.

"General, I trust you've a good reason for disturbing me?" Deling asked, to which Caraway's expression became impassive.

"Sir, we have...a situation. At approximately 1430 hours, the security of the Presidential Palace was compromised. We received a transmission at 1446 hours from one Lieutenant General Marcus Duran, claiming responsibility for the actions. He informed us that he and his men have taken fourteen of the province leaders hostage, and are holding them inside. He is demanding that by less than two hours from now, you and your entire advisory board are to resign your positions, else he will begin executing the hostages that he has inside," Caraway explained, giving the President the facts as concisely and quickly as he could.

Deling chuckled quietly. "The Galbadian Republic does not negotiate with terrorists, General. Why haven't you sent our own soldiers in yet?"

"Sir, with all due respect, sending our own forces in there would be a slaughter. We designed that building to stand up to tremendous assault from without - sending even a battalion of forces might not be enough. Even if we send our forces in, we may simply end up helping Duran if the soldiers are secretly loyal to him. Plus, there is the risk that if we do anything overt, Duran will begin executing hostages ahead of schedule. I don't think either of us wants that."

"Then what do you propose?" Deling asked. "I've no intention of vacating the Presidency."

Caraway paused momentarily, the creases in his face deepening as he thought. Finally, he turned his attention back to the President, and said a single word. "SeeD."

"What?!" Deling's voice raised from calm to uncontrolled without warning, as if the mere mention of the organization had set his temper flaring.

"If anyone can get the job done in the short amount of time we have, it's SeeD. You know how that organization is run, and things have only been refined further with Leonhart in charge. I'm prepared to say that this is our best bet of resolving the situation as quickly as possible."

There was a pause, substantial enough for Caraway to know his President's displeasure.

"Call them."

"Yes sir." The transmission ended with that, leaving Caraway to turn to one of the nearby communications technicians in the room. "I need a direct line to Balamb Garden, immediately."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Balamb Garden, Third Floor, Operations Center | 3:29 PM]

* * *

Balamb Garden's operations center was the picture of peace, afternoon rays of sunlight streaming in through the large glass windows that surrounded most of the room. Several SeeD officers sat at various consoles, talking with the people next to them and laughing as jokes and stories were exchanged. It wasn't often that the Garden was peaceful, so everyone was taking advantage of the moment while it lasted.

"Uh...ma'am?" one of the officers suddenly said, sitting up straight at his console. "We've got a transmission coming in... it looks like it's from Galbadian Military Command." The one he was addressing, a young woman just barely in her twenties wearing the uniform of a member of Balamb's command staff, walked over towards the console as the officer spoke, wondering what the Galbadian military could be calling the Garden for.

"Patch it through," Xu said, her face a mixture of professional calm and slight curiosity. Moments later, the aged face of General Caraway appeared on the computer screen, only serving to increase the young girl's curiosity. "General Caraway...to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I wish I was making this call under better circumstances, but we have an issue here that we feel only SeeD can help resolve," Caraway explained. As quickly and clearly as he could, he gave Xu the same rundown of the situation that he had given President Deling, waiting for a response from the brown-haired woman.

Xu nodded, checking the notepad she'd used to take notes while Caraway had spoken. "So you are looking to hire SeeD, then," she asked, to confirm what she thought he was asking for.

"Yes," he replied, his tone diplomatic. "Our country deserves no less. However, we will need the best that your organization has to offer. Our intelligence is limited, and we know next to nothing about the total number of troops that Duran may have inside, nor of any additional hostages past the province leaders. This must be quick and flawlessly executed if we are to maintain control of the situation."

"Very well. Normally, I would send our own special operations team for a mission such as this, but they are currently away on another mission. I can, however, connect you to the Trabian SeeD Commander, Katanas DeValle."

Caraway inwardly cursed – Trabia was much further away than Balamb, but it looked like he had no choice in the matter at the present time. "Go ahead, then."

Xu nodded, as she started to press a few buttons below the display. "I apologize, I would normally recommend the Special Operations from Galbadia, but they too are on mission. Stand by."

Within a minute, the youthful face of Katanas DeValle appeared on the screen.

"Katanas DeValle. How can I assist you, General?"

Caraway got straight to the point. "Our country has need of your special operations division, Commander DeValle. Both Balamb and Galbadia Garden special operations are on missions, and we were informed that you may be able to assist us."

There was a pause on the line for several seconds as Katanas pulled up records on the terminal he was sitting at, before he finally looked back towards the screen with a nod.

"Very well. Trabia Garden accepts. My assistant, Ein Beoulve, will be in contact with you in a few moments to transmit you the contract and to answer any questions you might have. We'll be in Galbadia ready to deploy in four hours time."

Caraway resisted the urge to grimace. Four hours was much longer than Duran had given them. Nevertheless, he nodded to Katanas politely. "The Galbadian government thanks your organization, Commander. We'll give a destination for your troops to arrive at once the contract is confirmed."

Katanas nodded his assent as well, noting the information. "Agreed. DeValle out." The transmission ended a moment later, and a smile began to creep over Katanas' face as he began to open several communications channels – one to Ein, his aide, another to Ellie Night, and a third to his father.

"The cadets have wanted their SeeD exam for some time now. Opportunity always presents itself at just the right time, it seems."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 3:52 PM]

* * *

The door to my dorm room at Garden creaks open slowly as I enter, seeing the room much the way I left it. The room is small, with a bed, table, small television, and other amenities in the room, connecting to a small bathroom from the right side of the room. It's enough for cadets, though, which is really all that's needed. The jacket to my cadet uniform comes off as I walk in, leaving me in just a white shirt as I toss the jacket lightly onto the bed for the time being. Yesterday was a very interesting day, and I found it hard to get back into classes today after what happened in the Ethereal Plane.

After the whole mess with Fayt, I spent the rest of the day - thankful that time is more or less irrelevant in the Ethereal Plane - learning about the structure and history of the place. I learned things about how it was formed, major events in Ethereal history, things about who the Pillars are and what they do, many different things on many different topics. One thing that interested me more than most of the other things was on the topic of Planeswalkers. I didn't realize just how many of them there were, or had been. Freya didn't just choose them from Gaia, she chose them from many different places. There were hundreds of Planeswalkers throughout history for the Ethereal Plane alone, much less the other realms that I was told of.

All the explanations and information that I learned did make me wonder several things, though. Chief among them, why have Planeswalkers at all? The Pillars were also capable of the same things that Planeswalkers could do, and more - why not just send them instead? Angel explained that it was mostly because of one simple fact, that fact being numbers. There were only three Pillars, after all. What if something happened that needed more than the three of them? The answer, though simple, made sense enough to me.

Secondly, I had asked why the Ethereal Plane needed armed forces, so to speak. The first part of the response that I got told me about the war that had recently, by Ethereal standards, happened. That in itself would have satisfied me, but then Angel explained the second part. All of the realms had some sort of "military" forces, even if they were not explicitly labeled such. It served as sort of a literal system of checks and balances, helping to ensure that no one realm was left defenseless on the occasion that another Realm got power-hungry.

Sighing, I head over to the refrigerator in the kitchen and pull out a red drink can with an image of a bright yellow chocobo on the side, popping the top and quickly downing a portion of the contents. A momentary crackling seems to come from overhead, and I turn, glancing at another feature of the room - a small speaker inlaid into the ceiling of each dorms for announcement purposes. Once cadets become SeeDs, they get some sort of communications device for use both within and outside of Garden, but cadets themselves receive announcements primarily through the speaker system throughout Garden - the faculty says it helps cadets learn to pay attention at all times, as well as learn to listen carefully.

"Attention," a voice began, one that I quickly recognize as that of Ein Beoulve, "will all cadets taking this quarter's field exam please report immediately to the third floor briefing room? I repeat, will all cadets taking this quarter's field exam please report immediately to the third floor briefing room? Thank you."

Blinking in surprise, I down another sizable chunk of the can's contents before opening the fridge again, putting the rest of the drink back inside and letting the door shut on its own. That one announcement has just made my day, figuratively speaking. I've been eagerly waiting for the field exam, and I'm ready to go out and get it done. My jacket is back in my hands in an instant, and I loop the garment around my shoulders, still putting it on as I head out the door in a rush.

* * *

Galbadia had their share of trouble in the game, and I felt like after the game would be no exception, seeing as how they got their president murdered by Edea and most of their military and Garden staff ransacked by Balamb. Hopefully, this plays out as well on paper as it does in my mind, but we'll have to wait and see. As for who is participating in the field exam...you'll see that next chapter. As always, please read and review.


	35. I, III, II: Zero Hour

Well, it's taken a decently long time to get this chapter uploaded. I've been working hard on my senior project, and have just now finally gotten enough time and inspiration to start writing again. Hopefully, I can get some serious work done on this after the 9th of December, once my last final exam is over and done with. Until then, though, I'll likely be focusing on studying for said exams.  
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* * *

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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter II—Zero Hour_

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* * *

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[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Briefing Room | 3:57 PM]

* * *

The briefing room on the third floor is much more hectic now than it was the last time I was here. Instead of the large conference table that was there, now the room is occupied by a smaller table at the front of the room as well as several rows of chairs facing the table, apparently for those taking the field exam. Several chairs are behind the table at the front as well, but no one is sitting at the moment. Looking around, I notice several of the command staff talking quietly at the front of the room, as well as many other uniformed cadets already seated in the room. I recognize several of the people instantly, like Yuna and Rikku, but there are several people I don't know. Among others, I notice a male cadet with short black hair, around my age, sitting with two female cadets - one with blond hair just past her shoulders, the other with black hair just shorter than shoulder-length.

"This seat taken?" I say with a smile, quickly sitting down beside Tidus and Yuna.

"It is now, apparently," Paine says flatly from a few seats over, gaining a giggle from Yuna. Rikku, normally the perky one of our group, is the quietest of the three girls, a fact which serves to sadden me just a bit more. Ever since the whole situation with Fayt, we haven't really been able to talk to each other. We talked about our relationship right after I came back from the Ethereal Realm, but it didn't take long for both of us to realize that things would never be quite the same if we stayed together.

One more reason for me to have a grudge against the Pillar, I suppose.

Taking another look around, I notice that a few more cadets have filed in, and I see the Headmaster check his watch before nodding to Katanas, prompting the SeeD Commander and the others around him to move to the table. Katanas clears his throat, signaling that he's ready to begin, and all of us immediately quiet down and stand from our seats, all performing the SeeD salute in unison. Katanas nods at the front, glancing between the others standing beside him before turning back to us.

"At ease."

All of us relax, retaking our seats, as Katanas picks up a sheet of paper from the table in front of him.

"I'll be getting straight to the point, then. At approximately 1430 hours this afternoon, the Presidential Palace of Galbadia, located in Galbadia City, was compromised by a force of roughly company-strength, made up of defectors from within the Galbadian military itself. They are holding fourteen of the Galbadian province leaders and an unknown number of other staff and personnel hostage inside, and have demanded that President Deling and his advisory staff resign their offices, or he will begin systematically executing the hostages."

Murmurs of surprise immediately begin to come from all of us, myself included - I didn't expect our field exam to have anything to do with a takeover of the center of Galbadian political affairs.

"The Galbadian government has steadfastly refused any suggestions of negotiation with what they're calling a "terrorist cell," and have instead turned to SeeD to provide assistance, as they feel they cannot afford to risk having more of their forces turn against them in a failed incursion. This is where we come in. You will be separated into five groups of three, and will be tasked with several important objectives that will allow us to establish a beachhead for our forces. Once your objectives are complete, you are to hold your positions until you are relieved by our primary SeeD squads. Does everyone understand so far?"

I nod quietly, most everyone else in the room either doing the same or saying that they understand. A part of me is becoming a bit scared now, after hearing the short explanation of our mission. This is what SeeD life is truly like, and the thought of it is a very nerve-wracking prospect, especially now that it's time to actually go out and do such a dangerous and important mission.

"As a note, if something goes wrong during the mission, we will have special operations forces standing by to extract you from the building and take care of the situation. They'll get the job done - they always do."

Something about that statement eases my mind just a bit, but nowhere near completely.

"That being said, I'll go ahead and announce the group compositions now. Squad A will be made up of Naoki Ishida, Sumiko Remiere, and squad leader Paine Zaraki. Squad B will be Tetsuya Kurabasa, Locke Cole, and squad leader Benji Powell. Squad C will be Shuyin Mishima, Uriko Kurabasa, and squad leader Yuki Kurabasa. Squad D will be Tidus Kuroda, Rikku Katsuragi, and squad leader Silvia Conrad. Squad E will be Sephrenia Roethe, Lenne Kaibara, and squad leader Yuna Kaname."

The announcement from Katanas makes my heart skip a beat, and not in a particularly good way, either. _I'm_ going to be the one in command of squad B? That's not what I expected at all, and I honestly don't know if I'm even prepared for a leadership role in a mission like this, no matter if it is only two other cadets. A part of me wants to protest the decision, but the rational part of my mind knows that this isn't the time or the place to worry - the only thing we can do now is act, because if we don't, there's no telling how many innocent people will die. If I want to worry about why Katanas just threw me into a leadership role, I can worry about it when I get back. If this is what I have to do to become a SeeD, then so be it.

"You'll be briefed on your specific mission objectives upon boarding the transport ships to Galbadia. Camdus will be your field commander for this mission - file out behind him to the airship hangar. Good luck, cadets."

Katanas salutes us again, prompting us to do the same as we stand from our seats. Camdus is already at the door by the time we drop our salutes, and he nods to us as our entire group quickly begins following him out of the room and down the hall.

Thoughts begin to run through my mind as we all walk in silence, mostly pertaining to the nation of Galbadia itself. Why would its own military revolt against it, for starters? From the impression I've been given so far, Galbadia's military is one of the most patriotic, if a bit misguided in its actions. It's hard to imagine even a part of that same fighting force just up and turning on its country.

My other major thought is a bit simpler - why call _Trabia _to deal with the mess? Surely Balamb is closer and more well-equipped than Trabia Garden for a matter like this one, especially with Squall as the SeeD Commander. Maybe that's the whole point, though. Maybe they wanted detachment and distance from the situation just to make sure that it could be handled objectively. I know that I don't have anywhere near the right amount of details to bother making guesses about the situation, but that doesn't seem to be stopping me. Hopefully, we'll find out a bit more on the way there.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Airship Hangar | 4:13 PM]

* * *

Despite having been inside the airship hangar here at Trabia around two months ago, the sight of it still manages to fascinate me as if it were the first time I'd set foot inside.

After the rebuilding of Trabia Garden, Darius DeValle Sr. decided that he wanted Trabia to take on more of a militaristic style, making SeeD into more than just the sorceress-response mercenary force it was originally designed as. Thus, while the rebuilding of the main complex was underway, he orchestrated the building of a hangar for a future airship force. Part of the complex is actually built directly into the mountain, offering additional protection and a place for discreet research and development labs.

The airship fleet, however, is still a small force, numbering only around a few dozen all total - most of those being one-man fighters. By comparison, Esthar has nearly two hundred fighters at its disposal at any given time, not even considering its line of _Ragnarok_-class "flagships."

Regardless of the small size, there are a also a number of transport aircraft in the fleet, almost like flattened, aerial versions of the Salamander water transports utilized by Balamb Garden. As we approach, I take another look at the strangely aerodynamic craft. The entire ship is of a very flat shape, barely tall enough for a person to stand upright in - maybe eight feet high all in all - and about thirty feet long, with a rounded front and sides that give it the appearance of some sort of hovercraft. The flat body of the craft sits atop five ski-like pieces of landing gear, their flimsy appearance belying their stability. The hovercraft comparison seems strangely fitting, considering that the craft uses a combination of bottom-mounted thrusters and anti-gravity technology designed by Esthar to achieve vertical take-off and landing capability, along with a set of three primary engines at the back for propulsion. The ship's design reminds me of waterborne hydrofoils, with a steel floor and body replacing the floatation-giving raft.

The hangar itself is quite the testament to Estharian engineering, as well as that of Fisherman's Horizon. The compound appears to have been carefully designed with both space and security in mind, with three individual compounds housing three floors each. Only the bottom floors of each are used for storing aircraft, with the other two floors being used for supplies, logistics, and maintenance equipment. The central building actually extends back into the mountain for a short distance, providing a well-constructed and defensible location in case of an attack, while the other two buildings are shorter but still a few hundred feet in length.

Looking upwards at the catwalks above us as we walk in, I can see technicians and SeeD officials moving about, exchanging clipboards and information quickly as they go about their maintenance and other tasks. Some sort of truck is also approaching behind us, moving towards the back of the hangar with its cargo of metal and fuel drums. At the moment, though, we don't really have time to worry about all of that.

"Alright, listen up," Camdus says in a loud voice, over the sounds of working and engines around us. "Separate into your squads and file into the dropship. Once we're inside and en route, I'll begin the explanation of mission objectives." Two large doors, one on either side of the ship, swing down as he speaks, and I turn to the large group of cadets, looking for Tetsuya among the crowd. A hand claps me on the shoulder suddenly, and I glance backward to see Tetsuya standing there, having found me instead.

"You're the leader of this little band?" he asks, shaking his head. "I would've figured Locke would've been picked."

"Believe me, I wish he had been," I remark, looking around momentarily for the third member of our squad. "Leadership isn't exactly what I wanted."

"Oh, you'll be fine. We'll go in, deal with a few angry soldiers, and be back here before dinnertime. Piece of cake," Tetsuya says, grinning. Somehow, I can't help but think that the grin is just a mask, and that he's really as nervous as I am. Maybe he really is as confident as he looks, too - there's no telling with him.

"So, uh...this squad B?" a voice asks, sounding decidedly older than either myself or Tetsuya. I look over to see a blond-haired man about my height, but easily quite a few years my senior, approaching us. Tetsuya waves the man over, looking quite amused now.

"I guess they're just letting any old geezers walk into this squad, huh?" he ribs, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder and chuckling as we begin to walk into the dropship. The man, apparently Locke Cole, rolls his eyes.

"Cute, kid," he remarks, settling into a seat along the dropship's interior with us following suit beside him. "Aren't you forgetting your diapers? Wouldn't do to have you wet yourself on the flight."

Tetsuya goes into a fit of laughter at the joke, leaving me to wonder exactly what kind of squad I've been put in charge of as Camdus heads towards the front of the ship, pulling down a small television screen from overhead.

"Listen up, cadets," Camdus begins, turning the screen on with the push of a button and showing the outside of a large, two story building that reminds me of an extremely large courthouse in terms of the design and appearance. "I'll only have time to go over these objectives once, so listen carefully."

Even as Camdus begins to speak, I can feel the dropship moving, seeming to float forwards for just a few seconds before a roar comes from the engines behind us, lifting the dropship up and into the sky on our way to Galbadia.

'_No turning back now...'_

The screen at the front changes to display a sort of street map of the city with a location circled in green near the edge of the city, a good distance away from the Presidential Palace, which is also displayed and named in red.

"We'll be dropping in at an airfield a few miles from the Palace to meet with General Hibrom Caraway. His men have the Palace perimeter secured at the moment and are awaiting our arrival. On their best estimation, there are approximately two hundred and fifty men inside the building, most armed with standard-issue firearms - Videlic Arms M4 Carbine assault rifles and P226 sidearms will likely be the most common weapons you encounter."

"How well-trained are these soldiers?" I hear a male cadet ask from near the middle of the side opposite me.

"Most are your standard Galbadian infantry, but we estimate that around thirty to forty of them are commanding officers at or above the rank of major. Furthermore, we have confirmed reports of at least four snipers on the top of the building itself, but General Caraway is working now to eliminate that threat for us," Camdus explains calmly, looking at the cadet.

"Has there been any further intelligence regarding the number of hostages inside?" Silvia asks, paying close attention to Camdus.

"Nothing definitive, but it appears that most of the staff are still inside the building, along with the province leaders. Caution is imperative in this situation, as you will not be able to discern easily whether a friendly or a hostile unit is just around the next corner." Camdus appears to be reiterating key points of our SeeD teachings as well, perhaps as a reassurance and reminder to try and eliminate our worries beforehand. A SeeD needs to be able to put emotions aside for the sake of mission completion, but I'm not completely sure I can do that...at least, not fully.

"The initial assault will be made after General Caraway informs us that the roof is clear of hostiles," Camdus continues, snapping back into the briefing's explanation. "You will proceed to entry points designated on your communications devices, and will enter into the building on my mark. Once that is complete, you will begin a systematic sweep of the first floor in order to secure it for friendlies. You objectives are to capture or eliminate all hostile presence on the first floor and to escort any rescued hostages outside the building. Any questions?"

Camdus has done a good job of the explanation so far, and so I'm not particularly surprised to see a lack of inquiries. The Paladin of the Sphere nods, turning the screen off with the quick press of a button before beginning to walk the length of the transport ship.

"Each of you has been trained to the best of Garden's ability. Trust in that training, and you shouldn't have any problems succeeding in your duty."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Galbadian Central Military Command | 4:30 PM]

* * *

"Sir, we have a transmission coming in!" a technician shouts, the tone of his voice immediately alerting General Rustov - who had been left in command by Caraway after he departed to meet with SeeD officials - that something was very wrong. The general's eyes moved to the viewscreen in front of him in time to see Marcus Duran's face appear before him, as serious as ever.

"Your two hours is up," Duran said bluntly. "I've heard no news of resignation."

"Caraway is speaking with the President now," Rustov replied, trying to keep his voice level and avoid betraying anything to the officer. "The negotiations are not finished yet."

"I made it very clear what would happen if Deling did not resign," Duran countered, eyes narrowing. His hand gestured to something outside of the view, and the sounds of screaming instantly cut through the relative silence in the room. Scuffling was heard for an instant before a gray-haired man, balding just slightly in the front and wearing a pair of glasses over his dark eyes, was dragged into the camera's frame by another soldier, his once-immaculate dark blue suit now dirtied and ripped. The man had also been gagged with cloth, and was trying frantically to speak through the object that covered his mouth. Rustov recognized him as Rufus Lockley, a former mayor of Deling City who had run for the position of province leader around three years ago, soundly beating his opponent almost solely because of the topic of economic policy.

"Duran! Don't do this!" Rustov yelled, slamming his hand onto the console in front of him. The Lieutenant General's face looked as if it were etched from stone as he stared back into the camera.

"You had time to comply, and you did not. Therefore, this man will now lose his life on account of your inactivity," Duran remarked. The panicked screams from off-camera only got louder as Duran spoke, and the soldier that had dragged Lockley into the camera's view pulled a pistol from his sidearm and fired off-camera, causing the screams to lower to little more than whimpers of fear.

"Duran...!" Rustov's voice was tense, and he was dimly aware of his teeth grinding as he watched, unable to tear his eyes away from the spectacle.

Duran didn't reply, merely pulling a sidearm of his own from its holster and turning away from the camera. Lockley tried to desperately fight his way free, screaming behind the gag that muffled his voice, but the grip of the two soldiers holding him was unyielding. Rustov silently said a prayer as Duran raised the pistol, refusing to close his eyes and dishonor the doomed man in front of him.

The pistol kicked once in Duran's grip, and Lockley slumped in the soldier's grasp, falling still as the bullet pierced his skull. Crying could be heard from the direction of the remaining hostages in the room as the man's limp body was dragged away, and Duran turned back to the camera.

"You have one hour before I execute the next hostage. Do not keep me waiting, General."

The line was immediately cut, and Rustov resisted the urge to let out a scream of rage, instead whispering a prayer to Hyne that the SeeD members Caraway had contracted arrived soon enough to prevent any more senseless loss of life.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Location Unknown, Dropship | 4:37 PM]

* * *

Paine, by her very nature, was a collected and pragmatic individual. Thus, it was only logical that she would be very unaffected and calm by the news of her election as squad leader. In keeping with her logical nature, she began to carefully go over the equipment in the employ of both her and her squad.

"So...what branch of SeeD are you from?" Sumiko asked with a glance to Paine, hoping to start conversation with the normally silent woman.

"Combat specialization," Paine replied simply, not looking up from the inspection of one of her backup combat knives.

Trabia Garden's specializations were now a bit more varied than they had been before the Senior took over. In addition to the normal, well-rounded SeeD specialization, students could choose to specialize in combat, magic, Alchemy, or even business. Each branch focused on a different aspect of the SeeD specialization with the exception of the Alchemy branch, expanding the basic concepts taught to SeeDs and giving students a much more specialized and thorough knowledge of their branch of choice.

In Paine's case, she had decided on the combat specialization - forms of attack and defense with melee and ranged weapons of all varieties and styles, as well as disarming techniques, unarmed combat, improvised weapons, and more were taught in the field, and Paine saw it as a more comfortable extension of her own swordsmanship training than simply being a SeeD.

"I'm still in the SeeD specialization," Sumiko replied, somewhat put off by the woman's blunt answer. "Thought about moving to magic, but I haven't made the decision yet."

"Have you checked your equipment yet?" Paine cut in, interrupting the girl's attempt at conversation. Sumiko nodded lightly, now thoroughly discouraged, but made no comment on her feelings as Paine looked to Naoki. There were more pressing matters at hand.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm gonna be taking orders from a kid," Uriko muttered, looking over at her squad leader. Yuki was a full three years younger than her, and Uriko couldn't stand the thought of being bossed around by anyone that was her junior.

"That, unfortunately, isn't your choice to make," Shuyin said simply, trying to ignore the girl - he had little patience for ignorance.

"Oh, shut up."

He let the comment slide, electing instead to look across the dropship at his lover. He would've rather been by her side instead of beside the bratty girl he was teamed with, but there was little that could be done about that now.

Beside him, Yuki sat very quietly, trying not to let Uriko's comments get to her. She was scared enough at the idea of leading her group into combat, and she was beginning to have faint doubts that she was well-prepared enough, SeeD training or not, to do just that. Fear, she knew, was a dangerous thing to bring with you into combat, but the thoughts continued to run unbidden through her mind, leaving her hoping that she didn't end up paralyzed into inaction at a critical moment.

* * *

Tidus wasn't completely his normal, cheerful self, but the thought of a dangerous mission didn't seem to be hurting his demeanor much at all. If anything, it was making the normally active blitzball player even more curious about things.

"I wonder what Galbadia is like..." Tidus said, seemingly not caring that he was speaking out loud.

"You've never been to Galbadia?" Silvia asked, looking over at the blond-haired cadet.

"We never really traveled much," Rikku cut in, causing Silvia to silently nod at her words. Lying had never really felt right to Rikku, but it seemed like the lesser of two evils, considering the alternative. She was sure that hearing about dimension-traveling cadets would go over _really_ well with the Garden administration.

"I've only been to Deling...Galbadia City a few times," Silvia admitted with a slight shrug. "Business trips with my father and such."

"Oh...what's it like?" the Al Bhed girl asked, now genuinely curious.

"Well, the food's good," Silvia said jokingly, earning a giggle from Rikku. "Maybe we'll get a chance to go sightseeing after this mission's over with."

"I wouldn't mind that," Rikku agreed, causing Tidus' unseen face to break into a smile. It was good to see the girl smiling again, and he silently hoped that it would stay that way this time.

* * *

Yuna had stared down everything up to and including common fiends, Yevonite soldiers, murderous spirits, towering machina, and a physical manifestation of the cycle of death and rebirth. Compared to all that, one might say that there was no way she could possibly be scared of a small group of armed terrorists.

They would be partially right.

Yuna still considered Sin the most fear-inspiring thing that she had ever confronted in her short life, so it was hard for her to be anywhere near as scared of a group of armed humans as she was of Spira's long-lasting terror. That didn't mean that she wasn't apprehensive about the idea, however. Her mind kept reminding her of all the things that could go wrong, no matter what she did to push the thoughts away. A glance beside her showed the impassive face of Sephrenia, sitting quietly and seemingly unworried about the impending mission. A part of her considered trying to speak to the girl, perhaps in hopes of reassuring herself, but something kept the words from leaving her lips.

"Are you nervous?" Lenne asked from beside Sephrenia, the brown-haired singer's face set in a look of concern.

"It's hard not to be," Yuna stated, sighing. "After all, there are so many lives at stake..."

"All that we can do is focus on accomplishing what we are told to do. That is the best possible way that we can minimize the loss of life," Sephrenia spoke up, her voice more firm and full of resolve than either of the other two girls. Something in the words seemed to harden Yuna's own resolve, and her eyes began to glimmer with the determination she'd had many times before in the past years.

"You're right...let's just get our mission done, and hope for the best."

* * *

"Look alive, people - ETA to landing is thirty seconds," Camdus says loudly, his voice echoing very faintly in the enclosed area. Silently, I do a final check to make sure that my junctions are set, before turning to my two comrades.

"Stay close, and watch your backs," I say, trying to force myself into the role of a leader. "Whoever these guys are, they've probably got some nasty surprises waiting for us in there."

"Probably nothing we can't handle," Tetsuya says with confidence, nodding from his seat. "Let's just hope there are people to save once we get in there."

"Agreed," Locke adds from beside the swordsman. "Provided we work fast enough, things should turn out well."

A dull rumble suddenly shakes the ship as it lands, shivering for a moment on its landing gear before the doors open, letting Camdus exit the ship and take a quick look around the area. Our squads file out behind him in an orderly fashion, grouping up and standing behind him to await our transportation to the Palace.

"Welcome to Galbadia City, boys and girls," Camdus says, turning back towards us with a determined expression across his features. "Time to go to work."

* * *

As I said before, I'm not particularly experienced with writing of this sort, so I would really appreciate feedback on things that might not have made sense, or could've been explained better. I'm particularly concerned with things that might seem out-of-character or irrational, though neither of my co-authors have alerted me to anything of that kind. I also tried to at least give a little insight into everyone's thoughts before the exam. Obviously, everyone isn't quite as excited as some to be participating, especially given the circumstances.

Hopefully, I'll be able to have another chapter ready sometime around the end of finals. As always, please read and review.


	36. I, III, III: Impact

Well, I'm more or less in the middle of exams now. Luckily, I only have three to take this semester and one is already finished, so I thought I'd go ahead and finish this chapter up. There's a bit more action in this chapter with the beginning of the actual operation, but most of that will be handled next chapter.

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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery  
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_Chapter III—Impact_

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Streets | 4:49 PM]

* * *

The low rumble of our transport's engine is the only sound out of the large group of us that are inside. My squad is here, as well as Yuna's squad and three other Galbadian soldiers, all dressed in the red uniforms of commanding officers - Sergeant Washburne, Sergeant Palmer, and Major Isane. Washburne had taken the driver's seat of our large vehicle, which somewhat resembled a bigger version of a Humvee, upon arrival, with Isane in the passenger's seat and Palmer in the back section with our two squads.

I had initially thought that we were all going to work as individual squads, but Camdus' orders had explained otherwise once we landed. My squad and Yuna's squad, due to Sephrenia and myself being Alchemy specialists, were going to take a different approach to enter the building compared with the other three squads. General Caraway informed us of a series of tunnels that spread outward from the Presidential Palace, separate of the sewer system for the city, that led to several different points around the city in case of an attack that required quick and covert evacuation of the President or other officials. Unfortunately, the tunnels had been of no use to the President in this situation because of the circumstances, but it was still possible for us to use them as a way inside. Knowing that the soldiers inside likely knew of the tunnel system and had the entrances guarded, Caraway and Camdus had come up with a means of getting inside by using Sephrenia and I to deconstruct the tunnel's ceiling at a certain point using our Alchemy, allowing us access into a specified room. Thanks to the detailed layouts and plans that Caraway has shown us, the entrance point is clearly marked on maps within our comlinks - now, all we have to do is get to that point and wait for the signal to proceed.

"We're coming up on the entrance now," Washburne states, our vehicle beginning to decelerate as the sergeant turns us towards a small, more or less nondescript office building, two stories in height.

"No signs of hostiles," Isane says, sweeping the surroundings carefully with her sight before picking up a walkie-talkie from her belt. "General, we're at the destination. We'll be proceeding into the tunnels momentarily."

"Copy that," the voice of Caraway replies over the device. "Let us know when you've reached the rendevous point."

"Roger," she replies, resuming her sweep of the area as the vehicle comes to a stop. The back hatch opens as the sergeant seated with us exits the vehicle, hefting an M4 in his hands as he surveys the area. My squad follows him out quickly, with Yuna and her squad right behind me as well.

"Alright, let's get to the tunnel system. We don't have any time to waste," the soldier says, beginning to jog towards the building with haste. Yuna and I quickly run after him, our respective squads accompanying us and closely followed by the other two Galbadian officials.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace | 4:53 PM]

* * *

The sounds of four dark-colored military transport vehicles echoed throughout the city streets as they entered the barricaded and cordoned area surrounding the Palace proper, as well as a city block or two in every direction. Galbadian military command had promptly evacuated all civilians within the radius and locked it down, allowing only military officials inside the restricted zone. Doors began to open as the vehicles came to a stop, allowing the ten SeeD members and twelve Galbadian soldiers accompanying them, as well as General Caraway himself to exit the interiors.

"General, our team is in place and awaiting your commands," came the voice of a younger soldier, identified as Sergeant Dalan, as he stepped towards Caraway.

"Very well," Caraway responded, nodding slightly. "They have permission to fire when ready," he continued, turning to Camdus as the soldier began to relay the order. "I made some preparations while your squads were en route here. My soldiers are going to remove the snipers standing guard on the roof, to minimize the risk of your soldiers being injured before entry."

Camdus nodded his assent, glancing over at the roof of the building as he did so. "A sound plan. You're certain that they won't merely replace them if something happens?"

Caraway shook his head quietly at Camdus' inquiry. "There are no certainties here, but I'm hoping that your squads will be inside before they have a chance to do so."

"They will be, General. These are the elite, after all."

* * *

Specialist David Peterson calmly and methodically began to "walk the grid" with his eyes as he looked out over the city blocks in front of the Palace, tracing along the streets and barricaded sections as he tapped the stock of his rifle. He'd served under the Lieutenant General back when he was a Major, and had shared his hopes that the new presidency under Deling's son would make much-needed changes to the ailing system. The senior Deling had made a terrible mistake in allying himself with the Sorceress in the past, and Peterson had simply hoped that his son would not make an equally foolish decision in the future.

"Stop that, would ya? You're drivin' me crazy up here," a gruff voice said from nearby, disrupting Peterson's scan of the ground.

"Come off it, Moren," Peterson shot back, rolling his eyes beneath his helmet. "You can't even hear it over all the commotion." Over by the other side of the roof, he could almost swear he could hear the other two soldiers chuckling, impossible though it was. All of them knew Moren, and were quite familiar with his personality and occasional lack of respect for comrades and authority alike.

"I don't even know what we're still doing up here," Moren - who was also wearing specialist pips - continued, ignoring Peterson's comment. "Just look at those idiots, running around like chocobos with their heads missing down there. Probably don't even know who's in charge, much less know what to do about us. I'd love to take a shot down there and see what happens."

"But you won't," Peterson said pointedly, "because you haven't been told to." The statement was forceful, enough so to set Moren's face back into a scowl.

"Psh. Orders. We haven't gotten any since this whole mess started."

"Then we'll keep waiting," the specialist said firmly. "End of discussion."

Moren opened his mouth to speak, but his expression turned into one of horror as he looked past Peterson. Peterson immediately spun, in time to see one of the two soldiers collapsing onto the ground, clutching his chest with one hand - which meant only one thing, he knew.

"Sniper!" he yelled, instinctively heading for cover behind the roof's raised edge. The soldier beside the fallen officer hesitated just a moment too long in deciding whether to run or to try and help his injured comrade, and received a bullet for his efforts that tore through the upper part of his helmet. His body fell over, toppling to the ground with legs no longer able to support weight, even as the other two soldiers reacted.

Moren grabbed for the radio attached to his belt, fumbling with it for an instant as he tried to radio in the situation, but lost his grip on the device as a bullet struck him in the chest and sent him stumbling, gasping as he tried to take in air through a lung that would no longer handle it.

"Moren!" he shouted, cursing under his breath as he kept moving, knowing that there was nothing he could do now but try and survive. His heart felt like it would hammer out of his chest as he ran, only feet from the side of the roof now.

His body suddenly felt like it had been punched in the chest, forward momentum arrested as he jerked back. A dull feeling of recognition began to creep over him as his legs buckled, and the last thing he knew as the world went dark around him was the sight of the roof's surface rising quickly to meet him.

* * *

Sergeant Dalan paused as the radio on his belt began to sound, indicating a transmission. Within seconds, he had received the report from the sniper team, and immediately turned to report back to General Caraway. Good news was finally beginning to show itself, it seemed. He made his way back through the barricades and soldiers bustling about in the area to the transports, where the General and the SeeD officials were still located, before snapping off a quick salute to the gathered soldiers.

"Sir, the roof is clear," Dalan reported, his tone of voice sounding a bit more positive than it had minutes earlier.. "Reports indicate that all four targets have been taken care of."

"Good work," Caraway said, pleased by the news. "Commander Marché, your teams are cleared for entry. Good luck."

Camdus merely nodded, looking over the three squads still within his command. "You heard the General. You have your objectives, so move out!"

_(Play: The Landing - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

A chorus of voices responded in the affirmative, moving swiftly and carefully through the restricted zone on their way towards the Presidential Palace. No alarms sounded, nor did soldiers begin firing on them as they moved, a sign that all of the squads present took as a relief. The last thing they needed was to be caught out in the open like this, SeeD or not. They were likely going to have enough trouble with the entry as it stood, without having complications arise on the positioning.

"Ready for this, Sumiko?" Naoki asked, glancing towards his teammate as they ran across the grassy lawn in front of the building.

"You already know the answer to that," Sumiko remarked, a look of concentration appearing on her face.

"We've got the front entrance, so you had better be ready. It's likely that we'll be dealing with more guards than the other two squads here," Paine commented, looking between Naoki and Sumiko as she advanced. "Which is fine by me."

"So, how do we get inside?" Sumiko continued. Paine almost seemed to smirk at the question.

"We break the door in."

* * *

"So, what kind of orders do you have for us, _leader?_" Uriko asked, glancing towards Yuki with a mocking edge to the last word. Yuki hesitated, honestly caught off guard by the question despite her role.

"Perhaps if you were more patient, you'd see," Shuyin told the dark-haired girl, feeling a headache already growing in his mind. He wasn't sure how he was going to make it through the mission if he had to listen to Uriko's complaints the whole way through.

"Um..." the younger girl began, her mind working as she tried to formulate a plan. "I'll use my Alchemy to open the door for us. Let's just put saving any innocent people first, okay?"

"Fine...good enough for now," Uriko replied, grudgingly agreeing to the plan as they moved around the left side of the building to their entrance point.

"Shuyin, can you take the lead? You're more suited to being at the front, I think," Yuki added, looking over towards the swordsman.

"Very well."

Quickly, Uriko and Shuyin moved to either side of the door that was their entrance, as Yuki took out what almost appeared to be some sort of chalk and began drawing a pattern around the handle on the door. All three tensed, seemingly expecting to be found out any moment, before Yuki finally completed the transmutation circle she had drawn and raised her hand to the door. The circle shined with light for a moment, before the circular section of metal simply seemed to melt away, deconstructed by the arcane art. In nearly the blink of an eye, Shuyin was inside the door with his sword drawn, scanning the hallway for any sign of enemies, with Uriko right behind him sporting hands glowing with fiery energy. Nothing showed to attack them immediately, however, and Shuyin began to cautiously creep his way down the corridor.

As suddenly as he began moving, however, he stopped, signaling to the two girls that he had heard movement from up ahead. Yuki nodded and raised one hand towards Shuyin, focusing and casting a Protect spell over his body to shield him before beginning to do the same for Uriko. As she did so, Shuyin waited for the noise to come closer before he struck. Like lightning, he moved around the corner, coming almost face to face with two figures clad in the familiar blue uniforms of Galbadian foot soldiers. The nearest man found Shuyin's sword buried firmly in his chest before he realized he'd been stricken, causing the second man to jump in surprise and bring his weapon to bear. 5.56 caliber bullets erupted from the weapon only to ping harmlessly off the magical barrier around Shuyin. Uriko rounded the corner as her fellow SeeD cadet dislodged his weapon from the first soldier, letting off a searing ball of flame that caught the second soldier on the right side of his chest and sent him stumbling from the force. Before he could realign his rifle to fire on either target in his sight, however, Shuyin struck again, cleaving down across the man's chest with a strike forceful enough to knock him to the floor. Blood began to flow from the man's uniform where the sword had hit, and Uriko walked over to the fallen soldier before kicking away his weapon and jerking him roughly from the tiled surface.

"Little...punks..." the man rasped, head lolling to one side for a moment before Uriko smashed him across the face with a fierce punch, the sound of her knuckles popping mixing in with the sound of bone on helmet.

"Trash like you doesn't deserve to serve this country," she spat, looking back to Yuki as the soldier's head slumped. "Should we just kill him?"

"...No, Uriko," she said after a moment's thought. "Just...take him outside. We'll let the General handle him from here."

"...Whatever," she muttered, dragging the man back down the hallway they had entered from. _He got lucky,_ she thought to herself as she roughly shoved open the door leading back to the outside world.

* * *

"So...how do we get in?" Tidus asked, looking between Rikku and Silvia as he stood nearby the side entrance to the Palace.

"Are you kidding?" Rikku countered, feigning shock that he would ask such a question. "Stand back and watch a master at work!"

From a pocket on her uniform, Rikku quickly procured a small metal object as she moved to the door, examining the metal lock for a moment before inserting the lockpick she had grabbed. Her hands moved only slightly as she worked with the door's lock, carefully testing and prodding the lock's inner workings. After several long seconds of silence and stillness, Rikku smiled at the sound of a faint 'click' from the lock, and she pocketed the lockpick

"Tidus, you're up front. Keep your eyes open, and don't move too far ahead of us," Silvia instructed, reaching over and preparing to open the door.

"Gotcha," the Zanarkand native replied, raising his sword up as Silvia slowly swung open the metal door. No sound emanated from the hallway, and Tidus cautiously began to walk inside, keeping his eyes trained in front of him as the two girls followed behind. As he reached the intersection ahead, a four-way split, he looked around for any sign of hostiles...but found none.

"...The heck? It's like there's no one here..." he said, causing Silvia to raise a finger to her lips.

"Shh! We don't need to attract trouble!" she hissed, silencing Tidus almost instantly. "Let's just get to the rendevous point and clear an entrance for squads B and E, alright?"

Nods came from both Rikku and Tidus as Silvia pulled out her comlink from her uniform and pulled up the map of the building, making sure that she had the correct path to the specified room.

"It's this way," she whispered after a moment's examination, motioning to the left. "Let's go!"

Without delay, the trio began to move down the hallway towards their destination, trying to keep their footsteps as subdued as possible. Stealth wasn't an absolute necessity, Silvia knew, but it surely wouldn't hurt to avoid as much trouble as they could until their entire force was inside.

* * *

"Only four, huh...they should've had more guards."

Naoki simply shook his head at Paine's statement. The guards inside hadn't expected Paine to essentially cut the door open with her blade, and were caught flatfooted momentarily as the trio breached the front of the Palace. That momentary distraction was all they needed, however. In a blink, Naoki had sent two soldiers to the ground with severe burn wounds using _Gokakyu_, while Paine - under the influence of a Haste spell, courtesy of Sumiko - had buried her sword firmly in a third guard's stomach before he could react. The fourth, caught off guard by the action and not willing to chance shooting his comrade, had tried to adjust his aim to get a clear shot at Paine. That just gave Paine the chance to forcefully dislodge the soldier from her blade, then kick him backwards into the offending soldier. An instant later, Sumiko and Paine had effectively disarmed and disabled the unwounded Galbadian.

"What should we do with him?" Sumiko asked, keeping the Galbadian effectively in place by means of a rapier pointed at his throat.

"Just make sure he won't follow us," Paine remarked. Sumiko nodded lightly and called up energy in her free hand, casting a simple Sleep spell over the soldier. Instantly, his head bobbed as he tried to resist the status magic, but it was to no avail as he collapsed to the floor under the effects of the magical effect.

"They'll be sending more guards out when they realize these haven't reported in," Naoki commented offhandedly, scanning the room for any sign of hostages.

"Then we'll have to work quickly, won't we?" Paine said bluntly, looking over her shoulder at the dark-haired ninjutsu specialist. "Let's get moving."

_(End: The Landing - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)_

_

* * *

_

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Escape Tunnels | 4:59 PM]

* * *

I'd never expected the underground of Galbadia City to be so complex, but the tunnel system we're currently traversing is quickly changing my mind on that matter. It seems like it was designed specifically with losing pursuers in mind, with loops, dead-ends, and branches leading in every direction, almost like a labyrinth beneath the city. Vaguely, I remember that the sewers of the city seemed to be much the same way, full of nearly-identical passages that went around in circles and made keeping track of your sense of direction a chore. Though in this case, I can forgive the architects, given what these passages were to be used for.

"How close are we now?" I ask, looking over at Major Isane with a curious eye.

"We should be nearing the entrance point soon," the major answers, checking the handheld mapping device held in her left hand. I don't reply, instead choosing to keep walking along the pathway in silence. As I walk, my eyes drift down to my right hand, which is now adorned with an intricately drawn transmutation circle, tattooed onto the skin on the back of my hand. The circle itself consists of two circles, one within the other but still close to each other, as well as three small triangles with the points touching the inner circle. A larger triangle also overlaps the entire design, with each point extending just beyond the edge of the outer circle.

Early during the Alchemy training, Katanas had informed us of a fact regarding transmutation circles and Alchemy. Normally, the user would be required to draw transmutation circles on the surface that they were attempting to transmute or otherwise utilize. However, if the user had a transmutation circle somewhere on their person or on an article of clothing that they wore, the requirement of drawing the circles manually would be negated. I had initially been against the idea of placing the circle on my body anywhere as a matter of personal preference, but the idea had proven too beneficial in my mind to pass up. Since I didn't have an article of clothing that I knew I would wear all the time upon which to place the circle, I decided instead to place the circle on one of my hands.

'_So many changes...maybe too many?'_

"There a particularly interesting rat down there I should know about?" Tetsuya comments, clapping a hand on my shoulder and causing me to look up.

"No, just..." I start, a moment later giving up on speaking and just pointing to the circle on my hand. Tetsuya just gives a nod of understanding, having been explained the concept by Yuki some time ago.

"Got some kind of plan figured out yet?" he continues, causing me to run through the small ideas I've gathered in my mind.

"Well...I don't know if you can call it much of a plan, really," I say, looking over at Tetsuya. "I think I'll leave keeping the hostages safe to you once we've rescued them...if there are even any left to rescue, I mean. Locke and I will focus on taking care of any hostiles, so I want you to make sure that innocent people don't get mixed up in all the fighting."

"No plan survives contact with the enemy, right?" Locke remarks from beside us, showing that he's been keeping pace with us.

"Something like that," I agree, nodding. "Just use your best judgment, guys. I really don't want this to get any worse than it already is. And don't say it can't get any worse, either, because then we're asking for trouble."

"Everyone, we're coming up on the entrance point now," Sergeant Washburne suddenly says, interrupting our conversation. "It's about a hundred feet in front of us."

"Cadet Powell, Cadet Roethe, are you ready?" Major Isane asks as we close the distance to our destination. Both of us nod quickly before my eyes drift up to the ceiling of the tunnel, wondering how far under the Palace we actually are.

"Good," she continues, stepping up to the side of the tunnel and stopping before turning to all of us. "We'll remain here until we get the all-clear to enter."

"Hope it's soon," I mutter, taking another look up towards the ceiling. I don't know what's going on in the Palace itself, but I can only hope that the rest of our squads made it inside safely. Failure is not something I want to think about at this moment in time.

* * *

You'll probably notice a few references here. Sergeant Washburne is a Firefly/Serenity reference to the pilot of the titular ship, Hoban Washburne, and Major Isane is a Bleach reference to the 4th division lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu. I would've made this a little longer, but I felt that this was a good stopping point before the real bulk of the action got underway. Next time, each of the individual squads get their chance in the spotlight, so to speak, as the operation picks up for friend and foe alike. As always, please read and review.


	37. I, III, IV: Gaining Ground

Took me a bit longer to get this chapter out, mainly due to losing my inspiration for a while about halfway through. Thankfully, it came back enough for me to finish off the chapter without too much trouble. The field exam continues with this chapter, and will hopefully be wrapped up (more or less) with the next chapter. So, without further ado...begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery  
_

_Chapter IV—Gaining Ground  
_

_

* * *

_

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, Second Floor, Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs | 5:02 PM]

* * *

"Sir," a Galbadian soldier reported, dressed in the traditional navy blue uniform of Galbadian infantry and wearing rank pips of a sergeant.

"What is it?" Duran asked, sparing a glance at the addressing soldier.

"Squads four and seven have not reported in as scheduled," the soldier said, getting to the point quickly. He knew well how Duran held the ability to speak concisely in high regard. "Captain Pearson requests authorization to investigate."

"Hm..." Duran muttered, turning his gaze away from the soldier for several moments as he thought. "Approved. Let him know that I want to know whatever he finds, regardless of how insignificant."

"Yes sir," the soldier replied, saluting before quickly making his way out of the room. Duran frowned as he looked around the room at his fellow soldiers, his thoughts immediately turning to the most logical answer.

"Looks like those stiffs up in the command finally got their act together. About time."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Hallway | 5:03 PM]

* * *

"How much further?" Tidus asked as he ran alongside his squadmates, his eyes turning towards Silvia momentarily.

"We're almost there, it looks like..." the SeeD cadet replied, checking her map again. "There! That should be the door," she suddenly remarked, pointing at a door up ahead on the right side of the hallway.

"About time!" Rikku exclaimed, running behind her two companions. Moments later, they reached their destination and stopped, checking the hallway on both sides of their position to make sure they weren't being followed or led into an ambush.

"What are we waiting for?" Tidus asked with a look to Silvia, seeming almost impatient in a way. Silvia shot a frown back at him, folding her arms as she turned to Rikku.

"They might have the door trapped, or they could just be waiting for us on the other side. We need to enter with caution," Silvia said, remembering the basic principles of entering rooms that she'd been taught as a SeeD. "Tidus, you'll go in first, and then we'll-"

No sooner were the words out of Silvia's mouth then she realized that Tidus had already begun opening the door, and her eyes widened in surprise and horror as she summoned up magical energy.

"Protect!"

The energy shielded Tidus as he opened the door, and gunfire erupted from the room beyond, slamming into the wall outside the door and causing Tidus to yell and jump back in surprise.

"Intruders!" someone yelled from inside the room, causing Silvia and Rikku to spring into action. Silvia cast a second Protect spell around her body as she stepped into the doorway, electrical energy crackling around her hand as she took aim at the first soldier to enter her field of vision. A Thunder II spell leapt from her fingers and crashed into the soldier, shocking him and hurling him off his feet to hit the wall just behind him as Rikku stepped in line behind her. Two bullets reflected off of the Protect spell as Rikku threw an object at another soldier that exploded into a burst of flame, blinding the soldier and setting his uniform ablaze. It took only seconds before the soldier noticed the flame and screamed in panic, dropping to the floor to try and extinguish the magical fire.

"They're SeeD!" one of the remaining two soldiers cried upon recognizing the pair's unique uniforms, practically screaming into his radio as he tried to bring his rifle to bear with his left arm only. The other soldier opened fire again, but Rikku and Silvia had already spun out of the doorway to the left and the bullets hit nothing but air, burying themselves into the wall of the hallway.

"Rikku, did you see any hostages?" Silvia asked quickly, beginning to prepare another spell. The younger girl shook her head, causing the squad leader to nod. "Good. Let's get in there and take down the other two as fast as we can - they know we're here now, so time is against us even more."

"What about me?" Tidus asked, now on his feet again on the other side of the door.

"Stay here and watch our backs. The last thing we need right now is to be pinned in this room before the other two squads get inside."

Tidus nodded, and Silvia tensed for a moment before giving the signal to go, casting another Protect spell over Rikku as the two turned back into the doorway. Rikku's arm pumped, throwing another object towards the soldier who had yelled into his radio; the soldier had barely enough time to cry out in surprise before he found himself halfway encased in ice, the Ice Gem freezing his upper body almost completely and sending his gun clattering to the floor.

Silvia, meanwhile, took another bullet on her Protect spell and retaliated with a burst of blinding magic that startled the soldier, his vision clouded over. Frantically, he jammed his finger back on the trigger of his assault rifle, spraying wildly in what he thought was the general direction of the SeeDs, but by that time Silvia had closed the distance between them. She smashed the soldier's helmet with her junction-enhanced fists, the deceptively-strong girl's punch sending the soldier to the ground only half-conscious. Satisfied, she pulled out her comlink as Rikku swept the room, making sure that the soldiers were incapacitated in some form.

"Squad D here. We've secured the entry point for squads B and E," Silvia said, eliciting a response from Camdus on the other side.

"Good work. Squads B and E, proceed with entry into the building," Camdus ordered, pleased that the squads were accomplishing their work in a timely manner.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Escape Tunnels | 5:06 PM]

* * *

"Looks like it's time to move," I say as I look over at Yuna with a smile. "Sephrenia?"

"Ready to proceed," she replies calmly, drawing up magical energy and casting the spell upon herself. The Float spell takes hold almost instantly, and she begins to hover just a few inches above the ground as I follow the same course of action. Both of us move up to the ceiling and concentrate, placing our hands onto the stone comprising the 'roof' over our heads. Our hands both begin to glow with alchemic light as we focus on deconstruction, with the stone shimmering and seemingly beginning to melt under our touches. Some of it simply falls apart into chunks of sand, rock, and other minerals making up the structure of the material, while other bits are broken down into energy and absorbed as mana by the two of us. After nearly a minute of constant alchemic battering, there is a hole in the stone big enough for two people to comfortably climb through. Above us, I can see the smiling faces of our teammates - Silvia and Rikku, namely, with Tidus nowhere to be seen at the moment.

"Hate to crash the party," I quip, "but you know we can't let you girls have all the fun."

"Of course not," Silvia replies, a light grin across her face as she moves away from the hole to let us inside. Landing gently on the floor, Sephrenia and I turn back to the hole as our squadmates begin to follow us up, prepared Float spells being cast by each of them. The Galbadian soldiers, however, don't follow us up; I'm about to ask why they don't follow when I get my answer.

"We'll be staying behind to watch this part of the tunnel," Major Isane says, nodding towards our group. "General Caraway has other groups down here now to make sure that Duran and his men don't use this as an avenue of escape."

"Good luck to you, then," Yuna says cheerfully, smiling down at the three soldiers.

"Yeah," I say, nodding at Yuna's words. "Be careful down there."

"Just don't try and wreck the place too badly while you're saving it," Sergeant Washburne remarks. "I'd hate to see the cleaning bill when this is all said and done."

The sergeant's joking statement gets a laugh out of most of us, taking just a bit of the edge off of the danger of our mission for a few moments.

"Good luck," Major Isane finally says, motioning to her men to move out. As the three soldiers begin to head further down the tunnel, I return my focus to the mission at hand.

"Silvia, is your squad okay?" I ask, trying to get an idea of the situation.

"We're fine," she replies, looking over. "I haven't heard any reports of injuries or casualties, so I guess that everyone else is inside and moving."

"Good," I mutter, looking back at the rest of my squad. "Ready to see some action?"

"Absolutely," Tetsuya says with a smirk. "I've been ready since we got here."

Turning to Silvia, I pull out my comlink and bring up the map of the Palace that we had been provided with, tilting it so that she can see the screen. "I'm going to take my squad back the way you three came, and circle around towards the backside of the building," I say, tracing the path with my finger along the map.

"We'll keep on going ahead, and move towards the front, then. Just watch yourself," Silvia says.

"Always do," I reply, grinning as I turn back to Locke and Tetsuya. "Okay, guys, let's get moving. Gotta make up for lost time, you know."

Quickly, I begin to head out of the room, only pausing long enough to speak with Tidus for a moment before my squad follows me out and into the hall. As silently as we can reasonably move, we start to head back down the hall the way that Silvia's squad had entered, hoping to cut around and potentially encircle any moving or retreating soldiers routed by other squads.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Auditorium | 5:07 PM]

* * *

"I _knew _this was a bad idea!" Uriko yelled over the sound of gunshots, taking care to stay covered behind the row of chairs that she and her squadmates were hiding behind.

"Will you quiet down?" Shuyin said in irritation, a pair of bullets whizzing over his head and slamming into the stage behind them. "We've got enough trouble."

Yuki's squad had been continuing their clearing of the first floor, when they'd come across the large auditorium that the President often used for addresses to cabinet members and important political figures. Yuki had decided that the potential for hostages to be inside was likely, given the room's size, and so they had made their way inside quickly and quietly...to find an empty room.

A room that had quickly become occupied when a quartet of Galbadian soldiers barged in on them barely a minute after they had entered. The auditorium was far from empty now, filled not just with the three SeeD cadets and four Galbadian soldiers that were shooting at them, but with the sounds of gunfire and radio chatter from said soldiers. Two soldiers suddenly stopped shooting at the pair and began heading left, towards one of the aisles leading down towards the SeeD cadets' position.

"They're gonna flank us if we don't move!" Uriko exclaimed, noticing the movement and glaring over at Yuki. "What do you want us to do?"

Yuki was silent as she thought, looking around the area as best she could from her impromptu cover. Her eyes trailed upwards, towards the ceiling, and an idea flashed into her mind. Small, glittering diamonds of energy trailed around her momentarily as she cast Double magic upon herself, and she took another look up towards the ceiling before turning to Uriko and Shuyin.

"Protect," she said quietly, casting the blue-colored defensive spell around both of her squad members as they looked towards her for orders. "You two go left, and deal with the flanking soldiers. The Protect should give you some help, but I don't know how long it can last against that many bullets. I'll take care of the two in the back - I've got an idea."

Uriko was momentarily taken aback at the sudden change in the young girl's demeanor, but nodded. Keeping low to the ground, Shuyin began to lead the way around towards where the two soldiers were moving, Uriko already preparing magic for an attack the moment they could see the soldiers again. Yuki, however, didn't bother moving, or casting any defensive magic on herself. Instead, she concentrated on her magic as well, taking careful aim at something in the ceiling.

"Blizzard!" she yelled, raising her hand just enough to aim the spell accurately and letting off two bolts of magic into the air. The Galbadian soldiers stopped shooting for an instant upon seeing the magic, but started firing once again upon noticing the misfired spells.

Moments later, a loud creaking and snapping was heard from above the soldiers, causing them to cease their attack on Yuki once again. Both soldiers looked up just in time to see one of the overhead lighting units, which had been suspended by cables hanging from the ceiling, falling towards them at a rapid pace, the cables snapped by Yuki's supposedly failed magical attack. The two Galbadians let out a yell of surprise and tried to dive out of the way, but one soldier was just a second too slow and wound up pinned to the ground by the mass of bulky metal, screaming in pain as his legs and part of his lower body were crushed and sliced by the heavy fixture. The sound of the impact got everyone's attention, SeeD and Galbadian alike, and Uriko felt her respect for her younger relative go up just a bit as she noticed the result of Yuki's idea.

"Hyne-damned SeeD!" the other soldier, who had been lucky enough to dodge the falling piece of metal, snarled, bringing his gun to bear again on Yuki's position.

"Thunder II!"

Yuki had already moved, however, and was now pointing a hand at the standing Galbadian from behind the seat at the end of the aisle, two bolts of electrical magic flying from her hands and crashing into the Galbadian to shock him through the armor he wore. His body crumpled to the ground as he choked out a pained cry, gun slipping away from him as his fingers twitched and became unable to clasp objects. A wave of paralyzing magic - Stop spells - engulfed the two Galbadians moments later, and Yuki sighed in relief, both that her plan had worked as intended and that she'd come out of the exchange alive.

On the other side of the room, Uriko was rapidly becoming annoyed with the two Galbadians that had tried to flank them. They had the high ground due to the gradual sloping of the auditorium floor, and were using every bit of that to their advantage to keep the two SeeDs pinned down with alternating fire, preventing the cadets from even attempting to close the distance, much less attack. Growling, Uriko reached inside her mind and touched the dormant power lying there, sick of wasting time cowering behind a row of chairs.

"Are you-" Shuyin began, being cut off suddenly as the air around Uriko burned and shimmered with heat, the energy turning their bodies ethereal and whisking them into another plane as the girl's Guardian Force manifested.

A roar shook the auditorium walls as a beast of fire appeared from the haze, its muscular body covered in orange fur materializing from the plane it resided on and stepping foot onto the carpeted floor. Long, obsidian-colored horns extended from a head resembling that of a lion, curving back and over its head to give it a more demonic appearance, and wicked-looking claws of a similar color extended from hands that seemed both humanoid and paw-like in appearance.

"Ifrit, attack!" Uriko yelled, the Guardian Force needing no further prompting to obey the comparatively tiny girl's order. The two Galbadian soldiers, shocked by the appearance of the towering fire demon, raised both their rifles and opened fire, bullets pounding into the tough skin of the avatar. Ifrit grunted, but seemed to pay the wounds no real heed, instead rushing through the fire and smashing one clawed hand into a Galbadian, slapping him off his feet and into the wall with the sickening crunch of broken bones. The remaining soldier hastily backed up, nearly tripping over his own feet in fear as he did so, and put a round into the Guardian Force's scowling face that finally got a roar of pain from the large beast. The gaping wound began to regenerate itself almost as soon as the shot pierced it, however, and Ifrit reached a clawed hand out and plucked the rifle from the soldier's hands, almost dislocating his arm in the process. The Guardian Force's giant hand easily crushed the rifle moments later, dropping the now useless weapon at the soldier's feet. As the terrified soldier watched, Ifrit vanished in a burst of flame, and the soldier found himself letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Right before an arm slipped under his own left arm, yanking it up and holding it above his head as another arm constricted around his neck. The last thing the soldier saw before he passed out from the choke hold was the face of the black-haired female SeeD who had summoned the Guardian Force.

"Was it really necessary to summon Ifrit?" Shuyin questioned, dropping the unconscious soldier to the floor.

"Yuki said to take care of these two, and I did," Uriko said, more than a little annoyance creeping into her voice. "Does the 'how' of it really matter?"

"Yes."

Uriko found herself wanting to strangle her teammate suddenly, much like he had just done to the hapless Galbadian soldier on the ground in front of her.

"Are you two okay?" Yuki asked from behind them, walking up the aisle now full of slightly burned and blackened chairs from Ifrit's presence.

"We're fine, but we need to get out of here," Uriko replied. "They're going to-"

"No."

"What are you talking about?!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed. "They'll be on us again in a minute if we don't get out of here!"

"We're checking for hostages first," Yuki replied quickly, turning towards the back of the auditorium and the stage there - a stage that likely had many rooms and closets backstage for people to hide. "That's final. Come on!"

Without waiting to hear any additional arguments from her errant squadmate, Yuki turned and began running towards the stage. Shuyin followed her after but a moment's hesitation, a smirk adorning his features as he moved past Uriko. Uriko watched them both for a second before finally just giving up and following her two squadmates, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "I hate it when she's right" under her breath.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, Second Floor, Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs | 5:11 PM]

* * *

"Trabian SeeD?" Duran muttered to himself, hearing the reports that had been radioed in by the patrol groups to their commanding officers. "I expected SeeD...but why Trabia Garden?"

Something was not adding up for Duran. Balamb Garden was much closer than the mountain-bordered Garden, so it was only logical that Balamb SeeDs would be dispatched due to their proximity. Why, then, had SeeD officials come from a Garden effectively halfway around the world just to quell a little rebellion in the ranks of Galbadia? It made very little sense to the Lieutenant General, barring one fact that he had considered: that Trabia Garden had some kind of resources that fit the situation better than those available at Balamb Garden. What those resources were, he couldn't say, but it was the only explanation at the moment for the decidedly strange choice in reinforcements.

Despite that, Duran now had a better idea of what he and his forces would be up against. It was no that Trabia Garden's specialization was manipulating magic. His soldiers, while not explicitly trained in the use of paramagic - with the exception of those of higher rank - at least knew how to recognize and defend against those with magical abilities. On the other hand, these were _SeeD_ members he was dealing with - every last one of them was highly trained in combat, paramagic, tactics...SeeD's reputation as the most feared mercenary force on the planet was well-deserved, to say the least. He knew that in a fair fight, the situation would be disadvantageous for him...so he would have to use other tactics.

"Major Everett," Duran called, prompting a red-clad command official on the other side of the room to turn towards Duran, stepping over quickly and saluting to his superior officer.

"Sir?"

"I want you to relay these orders to all soldiers on the first floor. First, patrols are to join up into squads of at least five men as soon as possible - time is of the essence. Second, make sure that every squad knows that we are up against Trabian SeeD, and that they are not to engage alone if at all avoidable. If possible, two squads should work in conjunction if a squad is engaged - all squads are to fall back if engaged to facilitate this. Third, I want the new squads to focus patrols around passages leading up to the second floor and any entrances to the building that are nearby," Duran explained. The plan wasn't perfect - far from it, in fact - but he believed that it might at least give his men more of a chance against a superior opponent, as well as buy them more time to prepare in the case that the lower floor was completely taken. Judging from the patrol reports, however, or the growing lack thereof to be more specific, Duran figured that such a case was more of an eventuality than anything.

"Yes sir," Major Everett replied, moving back over to the communications console that had been set up in the room and setting to work relaying the orders. Duran, meanwhile, resisted the growing urge to curse at the situation. He desperately wished that he had more time to come up with a plan, but he knew that with SeeD already inside the building and moving quickly, time was something that was very much not on their side at the moment.

* * *

Not an incredible amount of important stuff in this chapter, just a bit more fun with the exam itself. The most important stuff will be taken care of next chapter.

As an announcement of sorts, however, it will likely be a couple weeks before I get back to updating this story - not only are the holidays rearing their ugly heads, but I have a few outside projects to focus on as well. I have a question to my readers, however, that I want some outside opinions on.

Up until now, I've written this story in a mix of first-person and third-person viewpoints. Lately, I've been giving some thought to going back and rewriting/editing earlier chapters to be completely in the third-person for consistency's sake. Should I, in fact, do this, or should I stick with the view I've been using thus far? I'd like to get some opinions before I make my decision on the matter.

As always, please read and review, and happy holidays to everyone!


	38. I, III, V: Justice

Well, I'm back in college now in my next-to-last semester, and it's proving to be a big drain on my time - four classes, a senior project to program, and a part-time job at said college is definitely limiting the amount of time I get to do anything in. Still, I've managed to write this chapter to wrap up the field exam at Galbadia.

Begin!

_

* * *

_

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery  
_

_Chapter V—Justice  
_

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Hallway | 5:15 PM]

* * *

Paine, strangely enough, found herself pleased that their group had been encountering little resistance throughout the compound - it meant that her friends and allies were doing their jobs well. Never mind the fact that some part of her was eager for more combat - they had a job to do, and that came first.

"Naoki, any sign of hostiles?" she asked the Symbologist, his oddly-colored Sharingan eyes scanning the passageways ahead of them as they moved.

"Nothing," he replied, Sumiko trailing behind him and watching their backs for enemies. "It's reassuring that we've seen no resistance for some time now."

"Yeah," Paine remarked, nodding. "With luck, we'll be done with this mission soon."

Paine had never been one for inaction, something that showed as she easily outpaced either of her squadmates. Both of them had to quicken their pace to keep up with her, and she was still several feet in front of them both even with their brisk walking pace. As they turned another corner in the building, however, they were alerted by the sounds of gunfire coming from down the hallway.

"Something's up," Paine said, looking back to her squadmates. "Let's move!"

Instantly ready for combat, the three squad members began dashing down the hallway, but their advance proved to be unneeded as they found the source of the firing - three figures in SeeD uniforms, insignias showing that they were all of Lieutenant rank, were standing over twice their number of dead or dying Galbadian soldiers.

"Looks like we're a bit late to the party," Sumiko commented, causing the foremost of the SeeDs to nod.

"Most of the first floor's already under our occupation," the older officer said, looking to Paine. "The order to withdraw should be coming soon."

"Understood," Paine answered. "Should we begin falling back to the command post?"

"Probably not a bad idea. We should be able to handle things from here," he replied. "Good work, you three."

Paine and her squad took the compliment in stride, offering little more than nods to the higher-ranked SeeDs. The apparent squad leader turned to the rest of his squad then, the three-man group continuing on past the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

"Job's done, huh?" Sumiko said, placing a hand on her hip. "They hardly needed us, wouldn't you say?"

"That's likely the reason why they chose this for the field exam," Naoki remarked. "It's only reasonable that they had a plan to complete the mission even before we were brought in."

"That's good enough for me," Paine added. "Let's get back to the streets."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Hallway | 5:15 PM]

* * *

"Do you think everyone else is okay?" Yuna asked Lenne, the latter applying a curative spell to a wounded soldier who looked remarkably surprised at the action.

"I'm sure they're fine," the brown-haired girl replied, glancing up from the now-disarmed Galbadian soldier. "They had the same training we did, after all."

Said Galbadian soldier and two of his comrades were sitting on the ground, being tended to by the SeeD cadet while Sephrenia and Yuna watched. Unlike the other squads, Yuna's squad hadn't been exceptionally tailored for close combat, or extended combat in general. Instead, her squad took a very systematic approach to things, proceeding slowly and steadily with Sephrenia providing scouting and trying to separate lone soldiers or pairs from their groups before engaging.

Not to mention that they had avoided inflicting any casualties on the enemy at all - instead, they'd captured nearly every soldier they'd engaged with. No less than a dozen soldiers had been taken into custody by Caraway's forces, something that the general had appreciated. After all, no commander wants to see their soldiers, even those who had defected against their country, killed after serving valiantly in times past. Lenne's skill with healing magic had ensured that no enemy soldiers had been severely wounded, and Sephrenia's skill with Dark-elemental Alchemy techniques had ensured that no soldiers had seen them coming until the situation was out of their grasp.

"Commander, this is squad E reporting," Yuna said over her comlink as Lenne finished patching up the wounded soldiers.

"We copy," came Camdus' voice from the device. "What is your status?"

"Sir, we have three more Galbadian soldiers in custody and ready for detainment," Yuna continued, nodding towards Lenne as she stood up again.

"Good work," Camdus said, pausing for a moment to give muffled orders before returning his attention to the transmission. "A team is moving to your location now - you are to hold position and wait for their arrival, then proceed out of the building along with them. All cadet squads are being recalled as of the present time."

"Understood, sir. Squad E out."

"It appears that our job here is finished," Sephrenia said, looking at her squad leader with a respectful gaze. "A job well done, I might add."

"Yeah...good work, you two," Yuna said, nodding towards both Lenne and Sephrenia - they'd performed extremely well under the circumstances, at least in her eyes. She was just glad that no one in her squad, or the enemies they had faced for that matter, had been seriously hurt in all the fighting. It wasn't the soldiers' fault, after all...they were just following orders, like all soldiers were trained to do. It was just a shame that the orders had to come from misguided people.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Office | 5:15 PM]

* * *

"Have I mentioned just how much I _hate guns?!_" I yell to my squad, over the sound of automatic gunfire peppering the walls of the hallway. One of my blades is resting at my side, and I'm currently looking for any break in the fire that might allow us to get inside.

"You've made a note once or twice," Tetsuya remarks, also raising his voice to be heard as he rests his gunblade against a shoulder.

"Then I'm making another one!" I rant, frustrated at the amount and rapidity of the fire pouring from the room. Focusing, I cast a Protect spell on myself before peering inside - bullets start ricocheting off my shield immediately, but I only need a glimpse to see what we're up against. Five soldiers are inside, each spread out fairly well and aiming automatic rifles towards our position in the hall. Something in my gut is telling me that we need to get inside before we get flanked, too, and I'm not one to ignore my instincts.

"Tetsuya, on my mark, we're going to get in there and take them down - fast and hard!" I say, turning to face Tetsuya and Locke. The gunblade-wielding cadet nods, stepping away from the wall and waiting for my signal. "Locke, go in behind us, but keep an eye on this hallway if you can to make sure we don't have any more company!"

Locke also nods as I turn my attention back to the task at hand, reaching down to my belt and taking a fragmentation grenade from it and stepping away from the wall. Quickly, I pull the pin from the explosive before lobbing it around the doorframe and into the room. The gunfire immediately slackens, and yelling is heard right before the grenade explodes inside the room.

"Go!" I yell, casting another Protect spell on Tetsuya before entering the room. Four of the soldiers are still picking themselves up from the floor, but one looks like he was caught with the worst of the blast, his gun discarded beside him and hands clutching his abdomen. Immediately, I take a running leap over to the nearest soldier as Tetsuya enters the room behind me, cleaving down hard with my blade and sending the soldier right back to the ground with a jagged chest wound. What sounds like another gunshot rings out from beside me, a sound that I recognize as the sound of the cadet's gunblade being fired, followed quickly by the sound of a body hitting the floor. On my left side, I can see the other soldier reaching for a saber at his belt, but he doesn't get the chance to finish as I put a trio of throwing knives into his upper body. He staggers, wobbling and clutching at the knives right before I cut him down as well with a scything kick into his midsection.

On the other side of the room, Tetsuya's gunblade rings again, and the last soldier in the room drops, leaving the two of us alone in the middle of the room. Turning, I see Locke standing just inside the doorway, leaning up against the wall and trying to peer around the door to see outside.

"More coming!" he says, causing us to turn and start heading back to the doorway upon hearing footsteps from outside...right before the telltale sight of Thunder magic flies across the hall, followed by a pained scream. Fire and gunshots follow, and the sounds of footsteps that we just heard cease abruptly, replaced by an unfamiliar voice.

"Hold your fire!" the voice yells, followed by quieter and calmer footsteps from the opposite direction. Moments later, two figures dressed in SeeD uniforms come into view, looking relieved to see the three of us.

"Squad B, I presume?" the first figure says, a tall and gruff-looking man with a bald head hefting an oddly-designed rifle in his hands.

"That's right," I say, keeping my sword at the ready just in case. "Something wrong?"

"Just pulling you guys out of the fire," he replies, slinging the firearm back over a shoulder. "Almost had a dozen soldiers walk around the corner on you three. Most of the Galbadians have pulled back to the second floor now, but the ones that haven't have grouped together to try and hold their ground. Commander didn't want to risk anything - you understand."

"Makes sense..." I say, thankful to hear that we've had backup this whole time. "Any idea how many soldiers are left down here?"

"Not many," the SeeD replies. "You lot didn't do half-bad."

I shrug, not really knowing what else to say at the moment, right before a message begins to transmit over our comlinks.

"Attention - all SeeD cadet squads are to begin withdrawal from the premises immediately. I repeat, all SeeD cadet squads are to begin withdrawal from the premises immediately," Camdus' voice states, the sound seeming to be much louder now than I remember.

"Looks like the mission's over," the SeeD comments, looking over the three of us. "We'll mop up the rest here - you guys get back to the command post."

"Got it," I say, looking towards Tetsuya and Locke. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get a move on!"

"And it was just starting to get interesting, too," Tetsuya says, causing me to roll my eyes.

"I've had enough excitement for today, myself," I say, chuckling as I sheathe my blade again. The two SeeD officers give us a final nod before exiting the room again, heading further along in the direction we were moving as the three of us regroup at the door to the room.

"Not too shabby for a bunch of kids," Locke jokes, earning a facepalm from Tetsuya.

"I was surprised you could keep up, old man," he shoots back, causing me to sigh.

"Here we go again..." I mutter, shaking my head and checking my comlink map again for the nearest exit. A bit of rest can't come soon enough for me.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Infirmary | 5:15 PM]

* * *

Yuki's squad moved quickly and silently through the halls of the Palace, making good time through the abandoned hallways. They hadn't come across any Galbadians in several minutes, which was making both Shuyin and Yuki concerned.

Uriko, on the other hand, was convinced that it was because they were running scared from the SeeDs within the complex.

"We should be ready for traps," Shuyin said, looking over at Yuki. "The Galbadians are on the defensive now, and they know it. They'll be trying to consolidate what little ground they have left."

"Yeah," Yuki agreed, nodding towards the taller cadet. A moment later, she sighed - Uriko had run ahead again, and the concerned feeling was only getting stronger. Because of that, she didn't realize exactly what Uriko was doing until it was too late.

"Clear!" Uriko shouted, already through the door in front of them and standing inside the next room. Yuki paused, momentarily conflicted as to whether she should call the girl back or move forward, but Shuyin advanced towards Uriko's position - albeit more carefully.

"Uriko, be careful," Shuyin said, stepping through the door after her. The room beyond appeared to be a medical room or infirmary, with several beds and many cabinets and shelves lining the walls, full of vials, bottles, and other equipment. Curtains hung from racks above the beds to give privacy to the patients if need be, and the air in the room smelled faintly of disinfectants and cleaning supplies.

"I don't think we should be moving so quickly," Shuyin continued, walking up behind Uriko with one hand on his blade.

"Why no-"

Before Uriko can finish her question, the lights in the room cut out suddenly, causing Yuki to run up behind the duo as they both drew their weapons. A gunshot rang out immediately after, deflecting off the bed right beside Uriko and causing her to flinch and yell in surprise. Shuyin's blade leapt from its sheath as more gunfire sounded, and he dragged Uriko to the floor as more rounds struck the equipment all around them.

"Down!" he yelled, trying to figure out where in the room the gunfire was coming from. Footsteps joined the gunshots a few seconds later, and he could hear several Galbadian voices yelling to each other over the sounds of gunfire.

"I could say I told you so..." Shuyin growled, popping up just long enough to cast a Blizzaga spell from the cover of the bed. Uriko scowled in response, fiery energy gathering around her hands as she started preparing for an attack.

"Shut up and fight!" she retorted angrily, glaring at Shuyin. Yuki was quick to act again, focusing and melding magic in her hands before releasing it over all three of them, the Protectga magic forming transparent shields over their bodies.

More shots began to come from their flank, however, reflecting off the newly-formed magical defenses and causing Yuki to grimace as she tried to hold the shields up. Though the spell was powerful, Yuki's magical energy was beginning to wane, and the exertion on her face became more and more apparent even as Shuyin tried to put the Galbadian soldiers back into cover with well-placed spells of his own.

"Uriko, hurry! She can't keep these spells up for long!" he hissed, eyes turning to his comrade. Uriko cursed under her breath, the glow around her hands building even as the soldiers began to reorganize to press the attack.

"I need more time...!" she objected, looking back at Shuyin with eyes full of fury.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers screamed a warning as the gunfire slackened, then returned...now aimed away from the cadets. Another soldier screamed in pain, then another, and the gunfire began to wane considerably as Yuki finally dropped the barriers around her team. The lights that had been cut came back on suddenly, and Yuki cautiously looked around in the newfound silence to see a lone figure standing in the middle of the room.

Andréa Beoulve stood tall amidst a newly-slain throng of Galbadian soldiers with a bloody scythe in hand, looking for all the world like a physical manifestation of death itself, come to reap the souls of anyone foolish enough to stand in the way.

"That's...what it means to be SeeD...!" Yuki breathed, awed by the speed and ferocity of the elder SeeD's attack.

"Truly amazing..." Shuyin said, also impressed by the woman's skill.

"Tsh...we'd have been fine!" Uriko said, the fiery energy around her hands now dispersed. Before she managed to get back to her feet, though, she found Andréa directly in front of her with a poise that practically radiated anger.

"You _idiot_," she hissed, the hood of her outfit covering eyes that still seemed to bore into Uriko's soul. "Do you realize that your stupidity was _this close _to making you worm feed? What could possibly possess you to toss punishing months of training to the wind so that you could _run into an obvious ambush?_ Worse yet, you did so without the consent of your squad leader - and _then _called the room clear without running the most rudimentary checks for enemies!" she yelled, the tone of her voice causing Uriko's eyes to widen and both Shuyin and Yuki to take several steps away from the scene. Blue flame seemed to glimmer from behind Andréa's hood as she continued, lifting Uriko up by the collar of her SeeD uniform and nearly picking her up off of her feet.

"If not for safeguards against foolishness like this, _you'd all be dead,_" she spat, shoving Uriko aside as she turned and began to walk over to the Galbadian soldiers' bodies, kneeling down beside them.

"For that alone? You can _forget_ about SeeD."

A stunned silence filled the room as Andréa finished speaking, the only sounds being those of the SeeD officer checking over the Galbadians' bodies. Uriko's face had gone slightly pale, and she looked like she'd been physically slapped in the face.

"Uriko...?" Yuki said quietly, walking over towards her fellow cadet along with Shuyin. Both looked a little startled from Andréa's outburst, but they seemed to have regained their wits as they approached the third member of their squad.

"We should...probably keep going," Shuyin said after a few moments, looking towards Yuki in an attempt to restore some semblance of order. Yuki nodded quietly before looking back at Uriko, who seemed to be trying to keep from breaking down on the spot.

"Um...don't cry..." she stammered, trying to find some way to console Uriko, if only slightly. "I-I'm sure they'll see it was all just a misunderstanding..." she continued, chewing on her lip a bit out of nervousness.

"Who's crying?" Uriko suddenly said, her eyes sharp again at Yuki's words. She brought a hand up to her face and touched her eye, fingers coming away wet with tears she didn't realize she had been crying. She dabbed at her eyes a moment longer before Andréa turned back to the group, now calm after finishing her searches of the soldiers' bodies.

"I doubt you heard it over the commotion, but Camdus has given the order for all cadets to pull back to the command post. Go ahead and get going - I'll clean up from here."

Uriko, more than suitably chastised, just nodded mutely as Yuki and Shuyin also voiced their acknowledgment, quickly heading towards the door at the far side of the room to leave the grim scene behind.

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, Second Floor, Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs | 5:19 PM]

* * *

Duran sighed as he heard the reports. The first floor was more or less completely under SeeD occupation, and what little men were left were falling back to the second floor. At the moment, no SeeD personnel appeared to be making their way into the second floor, but the reports were so scattered and rushed that no one really knew for sure. Not to mention that with the first floor under enemy control, their escape routes were extremely limited.

It was a risk that he had to take, he surmised.

"Everett. We're pulling out," he said, nodding to the Galbadian major. "Find the quickest route to the tunnel system and issue orders for all troops to proceed along that route immediately."

"Yes sir," Everett said, turning to the computer terminal nearby and beginning to work. Before he could manage to pull up the map on screen, however, the door to the room exploded in a burst of light and noise, sending shards of the wooden door flying everywhere as motion came from the doorway. Galbadian soldiers throughout the room brought weapons to bear, only to be cut down immediately by fire as soon as they moved.

"Marcus Duran, if you value the lives of your men, order them to stand down immediately," a voice called from the doorway as the smoke from the explosion cleared. Duran's eyes narrowed, then widened again as he saw the figures that had breached into the room.

There were four figures in total, each armed with some kind of assault rifle sporting various attachments to the weapon including laser sights, grenade launchers and sound suppressors. Each figure was clad in the same uniform, if it could even be called that - it was more like some sort of modular armor, bright white in color and made out of what looked like some kind of ceramic plating that covered each soldier from head to toe. Imposing helmets with vaguely T-shaped visors adorned each of the soldiers' heads, hiding their faces from view completely, and each soldier had the same insignia on the left and right shoulders of their armor - a jet-black rectangle with a slanted gray cross, each containing varying numbers of small bars in the bottom-left corner.

Duran remained silent in the face of the new and sudden threat. He'd never seen such...commandos before, but knew that the armor they were wearing couldn't possibly place them as Galbadians - it resembled Estharian design to him.

"You'd better do what he says," another voice piped up, one that had a distinctly gravelly and almost rumbling sound to it, as the figure it belonged to shifted their rifle almost anxiously.

"Sev, please," the third commando said - this one a female's voice that was soft, yet firm and commanding - as they put a hand on their fellow soldier's shoulder. The soldier grumbled something that was too low to hear, but obligingly deferred.

"...Stand down," Duran finally said, raising a hand slowly to signal the remaining men in the room.

"Guns on the ground - carefully," the lead commando ordered, keeping his gun at the ready just in case. The soldiers around the room that were still standing cautiously eased to the ground, placing their guns on the floor while keeping their hands in view. The lead commando quietly nodded his approval; there was no need for anyone else to die needlessly today. Calmly, he tapped the side of his helmet, opening a transmission to his commanding officer.

"Commander, this is Boss. We have Duran."

"Excellent work. Bring him and his men in for arrest, Deltas."

"Will do," the commando replied, lowering his rifle and causing the two soldiers beside him to do the same, though 'Sev' did so somewhat reluctantly.

"I think you forgot to introduce us, Boss," the fourth commando suddenly said from the back, chuckling softly to himself.

"Mission first, Scorch," he chided, even as the female commando began to approach Duran's men to take them into custody. "Oh, and next time? Go easy on the door."

"That _was_ easy!" the soldier countered, earning sighs from both 'Boss' and the female commando.

"Fixer, you and Scorch wrap things up here. Sev, you and I will apprehend the rest of the soldiers on this floor," he ordered, turning to his comrade.

"Understood," Sev growled, shouldering his rifle and walking back outside without any further hesitation. Quietly, 'Boss' walked over to Duran, the impassive visor shielding his face from view as he stared at the Galbadian general.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"There will be others, you know," Duran said, his voice calm despite the situation. "I'm far from the only officer displeased with both the former and current president's incompetent leadership. Galbadia's military is but a shadow of its former self, and it's not because of the men and women who comprise it."

'Boss' seemed to contemplate the words for several long seconds, before turning away from Duran and striding towards the door.

"Violence, however, isn't the way to solve the problem."

* * *

[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace | 5:23 PM]

* * *

As my squad and I approach the makeshift command post on the streets of Galbadia City, we can see Galbadian soldiers loading equipment back into military vehicles as well as some soldiers already beginning to depart with their commanding officers. Camdus is still present, as well as no less than two of the other cadet squads - those being Paine and Yuna's squads. Thankfully, none of them appear to be injured, and I can also see Silvia's squad making their way back from the opposite side of the building.

"Look who made it back," Paine remarks, folding her arms upon seeing me and my squad approach the area.

"What, you thought a bunch of renegade soldiers could put us down? Not a chance," I counter, smirking. "You didn't cause too much property damage, did you?" I continue, taking a jab at her now. Paine simply gives a short 'hmph' sound, returning the smirk before turning back to her team.

"Ben, are you guys okay?" Yuna asks, walking over with a slightly concerned look on her features.

"Yeah, we're fine, Yuna," I reply with a nod. "What about you and yours?"

"A few scratches, but that's it," she says, smiling. "We managed to capture a whole lot of Galbadian soldiers, too!"

Something in my stomach does a flip as her words reach my ears, sparking a thought that I hadn't brought to light before now.

'_I killed people today...'_

SeeD training obviously had measures for teaching people to cope with the taking of a life, things that were told to us and procedures that we went through while training. But the actual _killing_, the knowledge that you've just ended someone's life...it's still a distasteful thought, no matter the circumstances. Everyone wants to avoid it, but in this line of work...it happens, and everyone has to be ready for it.

My mind is still working a bit rapidly thanks to all of the adrenaline from the mission, but I can feel a sort of chill working its way through my body as the idea sinks in. Taking a deep breath, I try to keep myself calm, something that's proving easier said than done now that the danger is past. Another thought then works its way through my mind - these people were trying to kill not just me, but the people I care about. If it was in self-defense, well...I know that it's still going to make me feel bad for a long time to come, but as much as that may be true, I did what I had to in order to survive and protect the people who were counting on me. If I hadn't...well, I don't really want to continue down that line of thought at the moment.

"Ben...?"

Yuna's voice brings me back to reality, and my eyes focus again to find her waving a hand in front of my face.

"Are you alright? You sort of...drifted off for a moment there..."

"Yeah...I'll be fine," I say, somehow managing to put on a smile despite the thoughts still floating around in my mind. "Just need some time to relax, that's all. By the way...where's Commander Marché?" I ask, quickly trying to change the subject. "I need to report in."

"I think he's over towards those transports, talking to General Caraway," Yuna replies, pointing off towards the west side of the area. Quietly, I nod, motioning for Locke and Tetsuya - who had been conversing among themselves while Yuna and I were speaking - to follow as I head over in the direction she pointed.

"Fine work you did today, Commander," I hear Caraway say as we approach, the older military officer shaking Camdus' hand firmly as men behind him continue packing up their gear. "Easy to see how much Trabia has recovered since that disaster last year."

"Yes, well, we've had quite a bit of exceptional leadership and cooperation from the rest of our staff in the Garden Network as of late," Camdus says, taking the compliment in stride. "Just doing our part for world peace, General."

"Be that as it may, the entirety of the Galbadian government thanks you for your service today. Thanks to you, this rebellion was quashed with minimal effect and casualties. You saved a lot of lives here today, Commander, and we're in your debt for that."

"It was a pleasure working with you and your men, I assure you. The days would be rather dull indeed without hearing from the Republic every once in a while," Camdus remarked, nodding politely to Caraway. "However, I have reports to attend to, General, so if you'll excuse me...?"

"Of course, of course. Take care, Commander," Caraway replied, turning and heading towards one of the military transports that had finished being loaded.

"Commander Marché," I say, saluting along with the rest of my squad as we face the Paladin of the Sphere. "Squad B, reporting in."

"Good to see you all back safely," Camdus states. "We'll be heading back to Trabia as soon as all of our forces are accounted for."

"Understood, sir. Anything we can do to help?"

"Unless you want to assist some of the Galbadians with their equipment, no. I'll let you all know when we're leaving, so feel free to relax for a bit if you like."

"Yes, sir!" I can't quite stifle the smile that creeps across my face, but I give a short nod to Camdus before heading off with the rest of my squad to think about the day's events. I do feel bad for all the lives that were lost today on account of the Galbadian rebels, but I'm taking solace in the fact that it could've been much worse than it was. Knowing that we kept that worse situation from happening makes me proud, and I can only hope that everyone else feels the same way that I do.

* * *

Well, I hope the chapter was up to reasonable standards - I do not like the lack of free time that this semester is bringing on, but I'm dealing with it. This chapter effectively wraps up the field exam itself, and the next parts will contain a fair mix of earthly and Ethereal situations for everyone to deal with. As always, please read and review.


	39. I, III, VI: Future Preparations

Another day, another chapter. Took me less time to deal with this one, mostly because of my college workload lightening for the time being. We're moving into the aftermath of the field exam now, and the focus will split again between the mortal and Ethereal realms as the arc continues.

Begin!  
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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery  
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_Chapter VI—Future Preparations  
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* * *

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[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Briefing Room | 8:30 PM]

* * *

The tension that had been running high in Trabia Garden seemed to bleed away as night fell over the complex, dissipating like the moonlight from outside against the artificial light within the briefing room. Of course, that was just the tension in the general populace - _this_ room had its own stress circulating about it.

Onimaru Balthas' presence at a table tended to do that to people, especially people who hadn't been around the Paladin of the Sphere for very long. Some of the lower-ranked officers even joked that his ability to get on people's nerves accounted for at least half of his skill in combat.

"I don't see why we have to do this tonight," grumbled Onimaru, arms resting partially folded on the polished table. "The cadets can wait until morning to get their evaluations."

"Be that as it may, Onimaru, those same cadets just returned from a mission of great importance," Anita spoke up from beside him, her calm voice an antithesis to his gruff one. "It's only fair that we uphold our duty in the same as they theirs."

"Besides," continued Camdus, "it _is _still early. Surely you don't wish to shirk your duty for mere leisure time?" Onimaru didn't respond, muttering something under his breath that seemed to bring a small smile to Camdus' face, as well as eliciting a smirk from Albel Nox.

"Gentlemen - and ladies," the Senior began, eyes moving over the two women seated at the table, "I do believe that it is time we got down to business." At his nod, Katanas began to distribute small packets around the table to each gathered officer, one for each of the seven people present. Quietly, they opened the packets and removed the papers inside, taking the first and beginning to read over it with a critical eye.

"I suppose I'll begin," Camdus stated, looking around the table before turning his attention back to the sheet in his hands. "Cadet Squad A - Naoki Ishida, Sumiko Remiere, and squad leader Paine Zaraki. They appear to put a heavy emphasis on combat," he states, looking over at Katanas.

"You would be correct," the SeeD Commander replied, nodding. "From initial reports, I heard that they performed well in that role."

"Cadet Zaraki made a capable leader, I will admit. They managed to break fortified Galbadian positions no less than twice with relative ease and minor injuries."

"By storming right through the front door," Onimaru chimed in, turning a critical eye towards Camdus.

"True though that may be, that _is _the role to which they were assigned. If finesse had been required, I would've sent a different squad in their place."

"Such as Squad E, maybe?" said Anita, resting her clasped hands upon the desk.

"Precisely," Camdus said with a nod.

"Hmph...the fools were effective enough at following instruction," Albel said from the far side of the table, looking more or less disinterested at even needing to be present. Katanas nodded, affirming Albel's statement.

"While Albel is more...descriptive in his opinions, I agree. It appears that Squad A performed well in all matters expected of a SeeD. Are there any objections as to why the members of Squad A should not pass?

Silence reigned over the table for several seconds, prompting Katanas to turn back to the papers in front of him.

"Very well, then," he said, placing three papers off to the side and one sheet back into his folder, before nodding to Camdus. "On to Squad B's performance."

"Squad B was composed of Tetsuya Kurabasa, Locke Cole, and squad leader Benji Powell. Another combat squad, though it seems that they were more effective at mobile combat than stand-up confrontations."

"The latter they tried every chance they got, regardless," Onimaru added with a scoff, prompting Anita to roll her eyes.

"I attribute that to Powell's...unusual determination," Katanas remarked after a moment, turning to Onimaru. "Nevertheless, they also seemed to handle themselves well in the variety of conflicts presented."

"Not as well as Squad A, but admirable," Anita commented.

"Kurabasa would be better served on a Squad Designed for heavier offense," Camdus noted, "given his use of and skill with a gunblade."

"That will be noted and addressed in the future," Katanas replied. "Additional comments?"

"Powell could stand to have a more thorough grounding in tactical planning," Anita said. "His improvisational skills are good, but further training in tactics and leadership could serve him well in the future."

"Both he and Cole seem more suited to reconnaissance and light combat than heavy engagements," Camdus added. "With more training, both of them could make excellent scouts and tactical operatives."

Katanas gave a quiet nod, looking around the table again. "Then are there reasons as to why Squad B should not pass?" No response came from the gathered command officials, and Katanas put away the sheets pertaining to the members of Squad B.

"We'll continue on, then. Next...Squad C."

The atmosphere in the room seemed to shift considerably as Katanas spoke, moving from the somewhat casual and overall positive feel to a mood so tense that it was almost palpable.

"Squad C was composed of Shuyin Mishima, Uriko Kurabasa, and squad leader Yuki Kurabasa," Camdus reiterated, glancing around the table. Both Albel and Onimaru's expressions twisted into scowls at the mention of Uriko's name, but Albel spoke first.

"Witless woman. She doesn't deserve continued training, much less joining SeeD."

"It is...regretful that Uriko let her personal issues get in the way of carrying out her duty," Camdus said with hesitation. He hated speaking ill of others, regardless of the circumstances, but he agreed with Albel in the fact that Uriko's actions were completely unprofessional and very reckless.

According to the report he'd gotten from Captain Beoulve, the girl had charged straight into a room with no regard for her safety or that of her squad, to say nothing of moving ahead without any such order from her squad leader. Both were traits that were actively discouraged in any professional military - SeeD being no exception.

"Her actions were nothing short of suicidal!" Onimaru objected loudly, slamming a fist on the table. "She could've gotten herself and her entire squad killed!"

"We're all well aware of that fact, Onimaru," Anita said quietly, trying not to add to the tense atmosphere around the table. "Yelling is not required."

"It is safe to say that, at the very least, she will be continuing SeeD training," Katanas stated, folding his arms. "However, if her actions as a whole were detrimental to her squad's performance, then the actions of her comrades were nothing short of exemplary."

"That's another thing," Onimaru continued, lowering his voice again out of the interest of continued good conduct. "Why the _hell _was a _child _placed in operational command of a SeeD cadet squad on a field exam of this caliber? Yuki Kurabasa should not have even _taken _the field exam at her age, and here she was given a leadership role! Think about the kind of example this sets!"

Well, continued good conduct for about three seconds, anyway.

On the other side of the table, Katanas DeValle merely smiled. "I had a hunch."

Something about the way he said the words managed to unnerve most of the Paladins present at the table, but Onimaru Balthas was undeterred.

"...You put a _child_ in charge of a SeeD squad...on a _hunch?_" Onimaru seethed, his body language radiating fury as he stood up in agitation. "By Hyne, what were you thinking? Moreover, what gave you the right to authorize such a decision!? The implicat-"

"Actually, mister Balthas," Darius Sr. interrupted, his tone level and his expression professional, "_I _authorized that decision. Do you wish to challenge my ruling?"

Onimaru paused mid-statement, his attention turning to the Headmaster of the Garden. He coughed lightly into his hand and retook his seat, his fury washed away as surely as if someone had doused it with water, though his face remained locked in a furious expression.

"If you don't mind my asking, Commander," Anita broke in, "why exactly did you recommend the Kurabasa girl for early graduation?"

"A good question," Katanas said, unfolding his arms and instead clasping his hands in front of him. "Yuki Kurabasa, as you may or may not be aware, has shown considerable talent in all areas of study, particularly magical studies; her scores in magical manipulation were among the highest in all classes she attended, in fact. She appears to be at least as talented, if not more so, than many cadets who would normally take the field exam. Hence, I felt that it would be a good idea to allow her to...how shall we say, advance her studies in a timely fashion."

There was a long pause among those present before Anita finally nodded.

"Given her performance, it appears that you were right."

"Are there any further questions on the matter?" Katanas asked, looking around the table to be met with a chorus of nods and disinterested stares - the latter mostly from Albel. "Very well, then. Any other comments on the squad's performance, or that of individuals within it?"

"What of Mishima's performance?" Anita asked, looking between Camdus and Katanas curiously. "Did he perform to expectations?"

"His combat skills were good, neither lacking nor excelling in any particular area, but his ability to stay calm under pressure and follow orders was exceptional," Camdus explained succinctly. "He remained cool and collected despite the tension between the two Kurabasa girls, as well as acting quickly and decisively during his squad's subsequent ambush - his actions likely saved Uriko Kurabasa's life."

"At least the good reports from that squad's performance outweighed the bad," Katanas said, nodding at Camdus' assessment. "All in all, satisfactory. Squad D's report is next."

"Tidus Kuroda, Rikku Katsuragi, and squad leader Silvia Conrad," Camdus replied as he read off the squad roster. "Well-balanced in all aspects, if I may say."

"Kuroda was somewhat overeager and careless at times, though," Anita said calmly. "Also, there is the matter of his grades..."

Off to the side, Onimaru chuckled, his earlier carelessness seemingly forgotten. "Kid barely passed his magic classes, and even then it took serious help from his classmates."

"He seemed to have a distinct lack of interest in several classes, yes," Camdus admitted, "but that does not mean that the boy is not intelligent. Far from it, in fact - he did very well in physically-focused classes, for example, and showed a keen interest in certain tactical aspects."

"Aspects which he then failed to follow on the battlefield," Onimaru countered. "At least he wasn't quite as bad as the Kurabasa girl."

"You believe it would be more beneficial to have him redo his training, then?" Camdus asked, already anticipating Onimaru's future statement. His face stern, Onimaru nodded. Camdus' eyes shifted to Katanas then, and the SeeD Commander cleared his throat quietly before speaking.

"Regretfully, I believe I must agree with mister Balthas on this matter," he said, looking at Camdus. "It would likely benefit him greatly to have a second training period - graduating him now may be a mistake that could cost both him and the squad or squads he is placed on in the future."

"I concur, but I'd like to propose an alternative solution," said Anita. "What if we had him transferred to Galbadia Garden to further his training? As it was previously mentioned, he shows little interest in magic - one wonders why he'd apply here, in that case - but focusing on his strengths might be beneficial."

There was a pause as the idea was considered, and one by one, each nodded or assented agreement.

Katanas nodded at Anita. "Then it's settled. What of the other two cadets?"

"Miss Katsuragi showed great skill in stealth and evasion," Camdus said. "In addition, though it did not come up in the mission proper, instructors from her tactics classes reported that she often came up with unusual and well-thought plans for entering hostile areas."

"Potential candidate for special operations?" Anita prompted, looking over at Ellie Night, who had been quiet throughout the entire briefing so far.

"Perhaps," the older woman replied after a short pause, inclining her head slightly. "I also took notice of miss Roethe from Squad E." An approving nod came from Katanas even as Camdus continued.

"As for miss Conrad, her skill with magic is comparable to Yuki Kurabasa's - potentially greater. She consistently achieved some of the highest grades in each magical class she attended, and was no slouch in other subjects as well - a very talented individual in all areas."

"I'm sure her father expects no less from his only daughter," Katanas commented. "Zeo Conrad himself was quite the fighter in his younger years." Behind him, Darius Sr. chuckled quietly to himself for a moment as Anita spoke up again.

"Then it appears you have no qualms with passing the other two members of Squad D?" she said to Katanas.

"I do not."

"Then on to the final squad," Albel said, his voice clearly and gruffly indicating that he was ready for the meeting to adjourn.

"Certainly. Squad E was composed of Lenne Kaibara, Sephrenia Roethe, and squad leader Yuna Kaname. They proved extremely adept at misdirection and infiltration - proof of that lies in the fact that they captured twenty-three Galbadian soldiers, several of whom were command officials, over the short duration of the mission. Also, they neither inflicted nor took any casualties; all soldiers were brought in without major injury, thanks to miss Kaibara's skill with curative magic."

"Miss Roethe was mentioned earlier before. Her alchemical specialty would prove an invaluable addition to special operations, would it not?" Katanas inquired, looking across the table at Ellie.

"Indeed it would. I will keep my eye on her and see how she performs. If all goes well, I may offer her a position within our ranks. I'm sure Commander Tormin would be pleased to have another operative under his command."

"If what he told me earlier today is any indication, he seems to have his hands full with just his three - especially Liou," Katanas remarked with a chuckle. Both Anita and Camdus smiled - they were very familiar with the demolition-happy soldier, given stories of his exploits bordered on the legendary within the halls of Trabia Garden. How much of it was fabrication and exaggeration versus fact remained in question, but they were sure that the stories weren't all merely empty words.

"Returning to Miss Kaibara," Camdus began after several seconds, "I believe that it might be best to nudge her training in the direction of medical care. She showed a noticeable disdain for harming others, even given the circumstances, and she seems much more proficient in the healing arts compared to her combat ability."

"Battlefield healing is an area that could always use more practitioners," the Senior replied, speaking up again for the first time in a while. "We've had a large decrease in cadets specializing in medicine and curative magic as of late, and it has shown in mission results more than I would like."

Katanas nodded his agreement, glancing over at his father. "I'll speak with her myself later about the matter, sir."

"As for Miss Kaname," Camdus continued, "she showed exceptional skill with her weapons of choice. With Miss Roethe's help, she was able to incapacitate nearly every group of soldiers they captured with minimal risk, avoiding any unnecessary injuries on both sides."

"It appears we stumbled across another exceptional set of candidates this year," Katanas said, turning to face his father as the headmaster clasped his hands atop the table.

"Indeed we have. The instructors have certainly been doing their jobs with great attention to detail. The fact that we have only two cadets unable to graduate out of fifteen is testament to their fine work," he said, raising a hand to his mouth in time to stifle a cough before continuing. "Unless there is anything else to address here, I believe that it is time we adjourn this meeting. Katanas, you may announce the results whenever you are ready."

"Of course, father," the SeeD Commander acknowledged as he and the others began to rise from their seats. The tension was over, and the citizens of Galbadia City could once again rest more or less at ease. For those cadets who made SeeD, however, the real test was only just beginning.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Location Unknown]

* * *

For a moment, all she saw was darkness, and then the world became light once again.

Even for a Pillar of Reality, one who held enough power to mend minor tears in the fabric of space-time, traveling into such a place as where she currently was still impressed her to a slight degree. It could be called many things - a fold in space-time, a ripple in reality existing outside of the whole - but perhaps the most succinct definition would be a sort of "pocket dimension." Very few entities had the necessary power to create such a thing, with primarily the leaders of the Ethereal Plane, Nether Plane, and Soul Society being capable of the act. This particular plane outside of reality, however, existed for a very specific purpose.

It held no true name within the Ethereal Plane itself, but those imprisoned within it as well as those who maintained it - Odin and his loyal guard - had given it a name of sorts. Over the millennia of its existence, it had come to be known as "The Void," as no creature, demon, or other entity imprisoned within had ever escaped. It was a plane reserved for criminals and traitors, and in that respect, it had served and continued to serve its purpose.

In appearance, the realm was extremely simple; there was no need for true complexity in a prison, after all. Most of the immediate space that could be seen was taken up by a massive structure, an unimpressive stone building only notable for its size. The rest of the area surrounding it was barren, devoid of any life at all.

The Pillar of Destiny began to approach the building at a calm pace, her face as devoid of expression as the desolate plains were of life. As she walked, she felt the familiar magical barriers that warded the building beginning to reach out to her presence...before they stopped, removing their influence as quickly as they had touched her power. The magical barriers themselves were of a special nature, designed to suppress the magical energy of certain individuals at will - in this case, those of the prisoners held within. None of the posted guards, members of Odin's vaunted Ethereal Guard, so much as turned to face her as she entered the structure, walking past them at a calm and steady pace. She had a specific purpose for being here, but she was in no hurry to see it accomplished. Her plans would proceed at her leisure and hers alone.

The reactions of the prisoners to the sight of the Pillar of Destiny were many and varied. Some begged her for release, others cursed her as the reason they had been incarcerated regardless of the truth of the statement. Still others held an indifferent eye, caring little what an Ethereal being was doing within the walls. None of that mattered to her as she approached her destination, yet another of the innocuous and identical cells that lined the seemingly never-ending hallways of the Void's construct. The prisoner inside was a male of comparable height to Destine's own, with shoulder-length dark hair and eyes that were a mix of gray and silver in coloration. His clothes were nothing remarkable, with white gloves, a slightly-tattered gray shirt and long dark pants overlaid by a roughly knee-length, high-collared coat colored white with black lining, as well as dark-colored shoes that completed his attire. A distinguishing characteristic, however, was the object around his neck that seemed to resemble a lower jawbone, worn as if it were a necklace.

"Pillar," the prisoner muttered, a bored expression across his face as he slowly stood from his position on the floor. "What do you want?"

"You sound as if you're unhappy to see me, Manes," Destine responded, a fake smile plastered across her face. She'd heard of what the demon had done to earn himself a position within these halls - millennia ago, when the Order of Grim Angels still existed within the Ethereal Plane, he had been part of a group of Nether Plane denizens that led an attack on a vice-captain of the Order. Unfortunately for those same denizens, they had been foiled by the timely arrival of the captain of that squad, and sentenced to captivity in the Void as a result.

"Given that your presence likely serves only to reduce my already tenuous calm, yes."

Destine turned and started to walk away, only stopping for a moment to look back at Manes.

"That's too bad, then. I thought you'd enjoy hearing a proposition for freedom." As she started to walk again, the sound of Manes walking towards the edge of the cell could be heard, and she smiled as she heard his voice from behind her.

"...You have my attention, Pillar. But make it quick."

Destine smirked as she turned back to the demon, folding her arms.

"Here's the deal. To put it simply, I need support. Taking over this dump won't mean a thing if I'm alone in the endeavor - Fayt didn't consider that fact in her bid for power."

"And you want me to assist."

"Exactly. Your freedom, in exchange for your allegiance."

Manes kept his face perfectly level as he considered the offer. It seemed to work out nicely...for the Pillar. He, on the other hand, would simply move from one prison to another, in a manner of speaking. That had to be the entire reason why she was offering such a deal. Still, he reasoned, if he was free from the Void, he had all the time in the world to enact an escape from her control...

"Very well," he said. "I'll accept your offer."

"I'm glad you see things my way," Destine replied, the smirk on her face never leaving - that had been almost too easy. It wasn't as if he had much choice in the matter, however; any sane individual would realize her potential for leadership immediately.

She stopped that thought as soon as it began. _"I'm starting to sound like my sister,"_ she thought to herself, turning away from Manes once again. "I'll be back for you later. Right now, other things require my immediate attention."

"Just don't go back on your word - you Ethereal beings are all alike."

"Why would I lie? I did say I needed help, after all."

Manes said nothing in response, but Destine could hear footsteps in his cell as she walked away, suppressing a chuckle of satisfaction as she did so. She'd let the demon wait it out for a bit, and then go back for him after other matters were attended to. He didn't have the power to refuse, nor enough to be a threat to her - factors which made him an excellent starting point for gathering a base of supporters. Slowly, she'd approach others, each more powerful and influential than the last...and by the time anyone realized what she was doing, it would be too late. Even Odin wouldn't be able to stop her in the end, she thought as she headed towards the exit. It would all fall into place, exactly as she had planned.

From a secluded corner, arms crossed over his chest, Will waited and watched until she was gone, mulling over what he had heard just moments before.

* * *

Once again, Will is sticking his nose where others feel it doesn't belong. It may be his job, but Destine won't be too happy when she finds out.

I had bits of trouble with the first part of this chapter, mostly because of having to pick it up and put it down again so much this week because of college. Once I finally got uninterrupted time today to finish it off, I had no more problems at all. As always, please read and review.


	40. I, III, VII: Graduation

College decided that it wanted to schedule all of my tests on the same week, so that's part of the reason why I haven't been able to work on this story lately. I lost a bit of my inspiration as well, but it finally came back and allowed me to finish this chapter off. That said, on to the chapter!  
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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter VII—Graduation_

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[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office - 11:47 AM]

* * *

Ein Beoulve had been nervous before - after all, SeeD training wasn't exactly a walk in the park the vast majority of the time. This, though, was a different kind of nervous, one distinct from putting your life in harm's way by one method or another.

This was the nervousness that came with responsibility.

"Are...are you sure I'm ready for this?" Ein asked timidly, looking across the desk at Katanas, who was making sure that a number of papers and files upon the polished surface were in the correct order.

"I have the utmost faith in you, Ein. I would be here myself, but I have other, more pressing matters to attend to today. Just remember everything I've shown you and I'm sure that you'll do fine. If anything comes up that you don't know how to handle, simply send it to Albel - he'll get the job done in some fashion or another."

Somehow, the way that Katanas said the last sentence made Ein want to laugh, but he refrained from it. It was his duty to maintain a professional attitude at all times, after all. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"So, do you have any questions before I leave?"

"...What if I mess something up?" he asked, the question out of his mouth almost before Katanas finished speaking. Katanas just chuckled in reply, shaking his head.

"Don't worry too much about that. I'll be back before long, so anything that happens won't get out of hand before I return. That much, I'm sure of."

"But...is this even allowed? I mean, I'm just your aide...is it really okay for you to leave me as the SeeD Commander while you're gone?"

"I talked it over with father, and both of us agreed that no one at present was more qualified to lead than you are. After all, you assist me with my work every day - it's only logical that you should be able to handle things alone for a few hours. Like I said, I have nothing but confidence that you'll be fine here until I return."

Ein sighed, not completely sure that he was capable of doing what Katanas asked but really seeing no reason to question his decision any more. "I understand. I'll do my best while you're gone, Commander."

"That's what I like to hear. Chin up, Ein - you're the right person for the job."

Katanas carefully finished straightening the stack of papers that was in his hands, placing them lengthwise across another vertical stack to differentiate the two, before his form shimmered and vanished in a faint aura of light. Again, Ein sighed, making his way behind the desk and picking up a pen...it was going to be a long day, he thought to himself as he looked at the stacks of paperwork that lined the surface of the desk.

* * *

[Crystal Path]

* * *

Katanas' form reappeared in a place that could only be described as magic given a physical form. The place he stood upon resembled nothing more than a shimmering, flowing, multicolored mass of energy, formless and yet at the same time holding enough physical properties to allow his body to stand upon it. The rest of the area looked much the same, with occasional pieces of the landscape of the void showing instead bits of other areas of reality, as though the entire plane was nothing more than a hallway with an infinite number of windows and doors to other places.

This was the Crystal Path - the dimension in which Planeswalkers traveled, utilizing the plane's unique properties and structure to traverse the barriers between dimensions, worlds, and the very fabric of space-and-time itself.

Saying that it was a physical manifestation of magical energy wasn't too far from the truth, in honesty, given the purpose the Crystal Path played in reality.

"Now...they should be arriving any moment now," he said to himself, taking a few steps around and peering off into the distance at the Path's environment. It was incredibly disorienting to most Planeswalkers the first time they entered the Crystal Path, but it gradually became less so the more an individual accessed it - Katanas had been on it many times now, but knew that where he ended up and where those he was supposed to meet had ended up could be completely different.

A moment later, those thoughts were quashed as two wavy blue portals materialized several yards from him, the ovular doorways seeming to expel a figure from each of their depths. The figure from the first portal was a man of comparable stature to Katanas' own, but garbed in attire completely different.

In contrast to Katanas' pristine, military cut SeeD uniform, this man was dressed in a long, flowing hooded cloak that was a mix of grays, blues, and blacks, with arcane symbols sewn into the fabric in a dull white. Several metal clasps were attached to the cloak, shirt, and pants - clothing similar in design and coloration to the cloak itself - but their designs couldn't be seen from the distance Katanas was standing. His face was hidden by the hood that he wore, further concealing his appearance.

The second figure had a radically different appearance to the first. Instead of a cloak of cloth and metal, he wore what appeared to be some kind of fur and leather clothing over most of his body, leaving only a bit of his upper chest and left side uncovered. The shoulders of his outfit were braced underneath by thick leather, also having sharp spikes of bone that jutted upwards from the top of the coverings. Leather bracers adorned both arms, both of which also had small spikes covering them at parts, and a thin mustache and goatee, giving him a menacing and gruff appearance.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Katanas said amicably, welcoming the newcomers as if they were simply business acquaintances. "I trust you didn't have much trouble passing through?"

The cloaked man merely shook his head, not speaking at all, as he began to make his way towards where Katanas was standing.

"Spare me the pleasantries," the mustached man said, his voice low and rumbling as he too approached. "I trust you have a reason for calling me here like this?"

"I most certainly do," Katanas replied, unfazed by the man's attitude. "Far be it from me to waste a fellow Planeswalker's time."

* * *

[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Camdus Marché's Office | 12:17 PM]

* * *

Andréa Beoulve wasn't the type who to be made nervous easily. She felt it was ridiculous to feel nervous about most things, because it was a sign that you weren't confident in your abilities. After nine years of duty within SeeD, whether as a cadet or an officer, Andréa figured that she had very little to feel nervous about.

Something, however, about the look on Camdus' face instilled a small pang of tension as she entered the office of the commanding officer of the Red Knights.

"You wanted to see me, Commander Marché?" she asked, saluting as she stood before the desk.

"At ease, Captain. Yes, I did - I've a matter to speak with you about. Please, have a seat."

Her body relaxing slightly, Andréa did as she'd been told and sat down, pulling the chair just a bit closer to the desk as she took her seat.

"I'll be brief, as I'm sure you have your own matters to attend to, just as I have. After reviewing your performance on the field exam yesterday, I had a talk with Commander DeValle. Both of us agreed that you were long overdue for a promotion, and so I took the liberty of completing the required paperwork myself."

Reaching into a drawer on his desk, he removed a small emblem with the Trabian SeeD insignia and three vertical, yellow-hued bars beside it, the entire design encapsulated by a teal rectangle around the very edge of the emblem. He handed the emblem to Andréa, who looked quite surprised at the gesture, before smiling helpfully.

"Congratulations, miss Beoulve. As of this moment, you are a Major within the Trabian SeeD forces, with all rights and privileges of the rank. The Garden Network thanks you for your continued service."

For just a few seconds, Andréa didn't know what to say. Her voice finally returned to her as her surprise dissipated, and she nodded back at her commanding officer, closing her hand around the rank insignia.

"Tomorrow," Camdus continued, "you'll be assigned leadership over a squad of SeeD. How many people would you say you'd feel comfortable commanding?"

Andréa took a few seconds to think - she'd not been expecting this when she walked into the office, and so she'd not given the question any real thought before. "Probably around three or four people," she finally answered, satisfied with the idea.

"I see...very well, then. I'll make a note of it, and your squad assignment will be ready by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Commander Marché. I'll do my best to live up to expectations."

"That's all we ask, Major. Just keep doing your job well, as I'm sure you will."

Camdus' tone made it clear that he was finished, and so Andréa stood from the chair she was seated in, saluting Camdus once again, before turning and heading out of the office. She had gone in expecting trouble, and walked out with a promotion...really, she thought, it didn't get any better than that.

A smile crossed her face again as she changed course suddenly, heading down one of the many hallways on the third floor. She needed to see Ein, if for nothing else than the look on his face when he heard the news.

'_At this rate, I'll be able to order him around,' _she thought wryly to herself, the thought amusing her as she stepped down the hall towards the SeeD Commander's office.

* * *

[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 7:48 PM]

* * *

As I take a final look into the mirror in front of me, examining the subtle designs inlaid into the fabric of the Trabian SeeD uniform I'm wearing, I readjust the collar of the uniform for at least the fifth time in ten minutes - dress clothes are definitely not my favorite attire. Not that I hate the look...they just feel stiff.

Then again, I'm used to wearing more relaxed clothing than full military dress uniforms, so I suppose I'm a bit biased.

The announcement of the field exam results yesterday had been a surprise to me, given that I hadn't expected them to announce the results the very same day of the exam. It was already nightfall upon our return to Trabia, after all, and I thought that they would wait until today to begin their deliberation and choices, but they had made the announcement not two hours after our arrival back to the grounds.

It's been a long time since I felt that excited about anything, honestly...or as nervous as I am now, for that matter. The graduation ceremony is about thirty minutes from now, and I can feel myself twitching progressively more as the time passes.

"It's just a ceremony," I say out loud, fiddling with one of the buttons on the sleeve of my uniform. "You've been through these before. No big deal...except I didn't have seven thousand people watching me then."

"Hey, you in there?" Tetsuya's voice calls from outside the door, punctuated by a sharp trio of knocks. "You do know we've gotta walk to Castle DeValle, right?"

"I know, I know," I say, glancing towards the door despite it being closed. "Just give me a second."

Sighing, I take a cloth from the sink and wipe my face before replacing it, striding over to the door and pulling it open to see Tetsuya standing outside of the room. His black hair is neatly combed, and his uniform is in the same, neatly pressed and fitted style that mine is in.

"I hate ceremonies," I mutter, stepping out and closing the door behind me as we turn to head back down the hall. "I'd be fine if they just gave me the certificate, or diploma, or whatever it is, and be done with it. I hate all this fanfare..."

"So you can go up against terrorists without batting an eyelash, but you start shaking in your boots at public functions?" he asks, disbelief mixed with amusement shining on his face. "You're nuts."

"You should know that already," I say absently, turning the corner back into the main concourse of the Garden. "Don't tell me _you're_ not nervous about being up in front of the whole Garden population."

"Of course not!" he says excitedly. "What in the world would I have to be nervous about? Come on, we're _SeeD_, for Hyne's sake - we're the best of the best. Why should we be nervous or scared about that?"

"I hate it when you make sense."

Beside me, Tetsuya smirks. "I have a sister. I do this sort of thing all the time, you know."

"Speaking of your sister, where is she? Already at the castle?"

Tetsuya shrugs in response. "She said she'd be going ahead. Last I saw, she was talking with another SeeD officer - Captain Belouve, or something like that."

"Beoulve? Ein Beoulve?" I ask, wondering what she could possibly be talking to the Garden Commander's aide about.

"No, a girl. Older sister, I think. Brown hair, few years older than Yuki, easy..."

"...Andréa?" I say hesitantly, not sure if I got the name right.

"Yeah, that's it," he says, nodding lightly. "Don't know what they were talking about, but I saw them on the way over to the dorms."

"Didn't know she was a Captain," I comment as we step outside of Garden, starting towards the large castle set into the mountains directly behind the Garden. "Then again, I haven't really seen her around as much as I have Ein. That kid's all over the place most of the time."

"He works hard, from what I've seen. Fourteen years old, and already in the command division. Kid's practically a genius."

"Already in the command division?" I say, surprised - I've not heard anyone mention that fact until now. "I thought you had to be at least 15 to even take the field exam?"

"That's the rule, anyway. Yuki told me this morning that someone had waived that rule to let her take the field exam - she's only thirteen, you know. Didn't say who, but that's what I heard."

"...Well. Fun to know that a kid four years my junior can order me around."

Tetsuya laughs at that, drawing a look or two from others on their way to the castle, then claps a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, he can order me around too, you know. And practically everyone else in the place, too."

"Guess that's true." A moment later, the sound of a cell phone cuts through the air, and I draw an amused look from watching Tetsuya try and get to his phone before it stops ringing. Finally, he manages to pull the device out and flip it open, putting it up to his ear as we keep walking.

"Hello?"

_"Evening, Tetsu-kun."_

"Hikari-chan," Tetsuya replies, grinning even as he hears the voice on the other end. "How are you?"

_"Fine. Just taking care of some business now that I'm off from work for the day."_

"Always busy..." he says, chuckling a little. "By the way, I passed the field exam here at Trabia. I'm heading to the graduation ceremony now, actually."

_"That's great, Tetsu-kun. Do you want to go out after the ceremony's over with tonight?"_

"Sounds good to me. You'll still be around Esthar?"

_"I should be. Meet me at the Pandora Café, perhaps?"_

"It's a date, then," he replies, glancing up for a moment before returning his attention to the call. "Hey, I need to go - almost at the ceremony hall. I'll see you tonight, okay, Hikari-chan?"

_"Sounds good. Love you, Tetsu-kun."_

"Love you too, Hikari-chan."

A few moments later, he closed the phone, shoving it back into his pocket quickly as he notices me staring at him with an amused look on my face.

"You never mentioned you had a girlfriend," I comment, a faint smile across my face.

"You didn't ask," Tetsuya responds, equally amused. "We've been seeing each other for a few years now. I met her in Esthar, back when I was still working at my dad's business."

"Who's your dad?" I ask, wondering if it's anyone I've happened to meet while around Garden.

"James Alnon. He works over in Esthar at Executive Outcomes - company he founded about five or six years ago. It's a little like Garden, but not really military...they take contracts for industrial work and research, mostly by other big companies and military organizations," Tetsuya explains, as we finally begin to approach the grounds of Castle DeValle. Many other cadets, SeeD, and instructors are beginning to file into the structure now, and I check my watch momentarily to see the time - 8:04. Just under a half hour until the ceremony starts, so we still have plenty of time to get inside.

"Don't think I've met him," I reply. "Has he ever come to Garden?"

"Not that I know of, at least not since I've been here. He's been working on some big project for months now, so he hasn't even left Esthar much in the past two or three months."

"Ah..."

Looking around momentarily at the crowd of people now gathering outside the building, I turn back to Tetsuya and smirk.

"See, I told you we'd have plenty of time!" I say, a bit more exuberantly than normal. Tetsuya just shakes his head.

"You didn't say anything like that," he replies, chuckling. "Ah, whatever. Now all we have to do is hope that the Headmaster doesn't give an hour-long speech about justice or something like that."

That gets a nice laugh from me - somehow, the Senior doesn't seem like the type of person who would ramble on in an hour-long speech like the one he's implying.

"Sounds like a plan. Hopefully, Hyne's on our side tonight."

* * *

[July 1, 2152 | Esthar, Futabishi Electronics, Shiro Matsuda's Office | 8:14 PM]

* * *

"Shiro Matsuda."

The sword was in his hand before he'd even finished turning around to face the intruder - few people could sneak up on him, let alone enter his office without being spotted well in advance. Standing before the head of the Hachikyuusan was a slender, dark-haired woman, an amused smile on her lips.

"Mister Matsuda. Please, there's no need for violence. I've merely come here to offer you a proposition, and then be on my way."

Shiro raised an eyebrow at the woman's words, but did not lower his sword an inch. "Who are you, and how did you get past my people?"

The woman's smile widened into a smirk, and she moved over to seat herself into a nearby chair, unaffected by Shiro's drawn and raised weapon. Taking an empty cup from the desk - Shiro always kept one there, just in case it was needed - she poured herself a cup of still-warm tea before answering.

"My name isn't important, but you may call me Destine."

She took a sip of the tea in her cup, murmuring appreciatively at the taste of the beverage, before continuing. "I'm a busy girl, so I'll get right to the point. It's going to become obvious to a number of...curators that they themselves are worth more than their collections. It's also going to come to the attention of some rather unsavory types that for their value, they're easy to get. I'm offering you, mister Matsuda, a chance to get in on the inside and offer your...unique services to these places. Your honor, along with your resources, would make you ideal guardians, would you not agree? Also, think of this as well - having your Hachikyuusan visible would, I imagine, send a very strong message to friend and foe alike. It'd be rather gallant, no?"

Shiro said nothing as the strange woman took another sip of her tea. He wasn't sure what she was insinuating with her words - carefully chosen words, he noticed - but he did realize that she was getting at something important. Still, he appeared to take it all in stride to the outside viewer, perhaps even considering it, but he let no emotion show on his face. Destine, meanwhile, scowled behind her glass, frustrated that she couldn't read the mortal man as easily as she believed she should be able to.

After a long, drawn-out pause, Shiro gave his reply. "Miss Destine. It's been a pleasure. Since it seems you found your way in, I would ask you to find your way out. This moment, if it pleases."

Destine blinked, fighting to keep the irritation from showing in her voice as she rose. "Just think about what I said. Oh, and before I forget..."

She snapped her fingers suddenly, a piece of paper seeming to simply appear in her hand which she then set down on the table in front of Shiro. "We'll meet again, I'm sure."

Shiro, nonplused, merely turned his back on her, returning to his earlier work. Behind him, Destine opened her mouth, temper threatening to break at such an insult from a mortal, before mastering herself, mindful of the fact that she was not in the Ethereal Plane and that her power was greatly reduced as a result. Instead, she put on a placating smile, choosing her next words as carefully as those spoken before.

"Just remember, mister Matsuda. To waver in one's honor is to dispense advantages best kept at home."

Shiro turned once again, but the questions on his lips about her meaning died as he found himself in an empty room once again. He rubbed his chin, thoughtful, before picking up the paper that she'd left behind on his desk. Opening it revealed a map of the world itself, with three locations circled in red ink - the capitals of Dollet, Galbadia, and Esthar. He looked over the locations for several brief seconds, thinking back to what Destine had said moments ago...before his eyes widened in understanding, the words and locations connecting in his mind. In an instant, he was reaching for his phone, giving instructions in Estharian to prepare to move out.

Whether she spoke the truth or not was completely irrelevant - all that mattered was taking action and absolving all uncertainty. Shiro Matsuda was not a man to take unnecessary chances, and to do nothing in a situation such as this was to risk everything.

From high in the air above Futabishi Electronics' main corporate office, Destine smiled to herself, her earlier temper washed away and replaced with a sense of calm satisfaction. The ball was rolling now, and it would be only a matter of time before she could move from setup to implementation.

* * *

[Crystal Path]

* * *

"Given the time frame, the window of opportunity is a small one, but I believe we will be able to pull it off. Any further objections?"

Katanas glanced between the two figures he'd held in conversation, getting a mute nod from the hooded figure and a snort of assent from the leather-armored figure. "Then we shall end here for the night. The next time we meet, it will be to finish what we have started. Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience and resolve. Remember, what we do here will alter the stakes everywhere; what we do here, we do for the Balance."

Without any further ado, the duo of Planeswalkers turned, blue portals shimmering into existence in front of them as they departed from the Crystal Path wordlessly. Katanas let out a tired breath as they left, trying to mentally determine the time and realizing that it was likely later than he had anticipated.

"And here I promised Ein I'd be back in a few hours," he chuckled, smiling as he also prepared to Planeswalk back into Gaia. "I shouldn't be surprised if I return to Garden and find it in better shape than when I left."

* * *

What's Katanas planning, you might ask? Well, I'll go ahead and say that you won't find that little piece of information out for a very long time to come.

However, what Destine's plans involve should become quite evident over the next few chapters...I'll leave you all to puzzle that one out on your own. As always, please read and review.


	41. I, III, VIII: Pawns Before Kings

I'm back, at long last - finals proved grueling this semester, and I wound up with a nasty case of writer's block when I tried to finish off the last of this chapter that tied me up for _weeks._ Regardless, I finally managed to push past it all and finish this up, and I'm glad I did. I'm also, hopefully, going to try and put myself back on the schedule that I had when I began writing _Destiny's Call, _writing one chapter around every week or so. We'll see how that works out, at any rate.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter VIII—Pawns Before Kings  
_

* * *

[Nether Plane, Chateau du Suzerain, Front Gate]

* * *

Of the buildings within the Nether Plane, few in number as they were, none came anywhere close to the magnificence of the Overlord's personal sanctuary, Chateau du Suzerain. In terms of size, the building was as large as ancient castles of old, towering gray and tan spires stretching high up into the dim sky above and looming high over the sandy, desert-like plains below. Its outer features shared much with those castles, as well as more modern cathedrals, possessing large and elegant stained glass windows that lined the outer walls and places along the spires. However, the strangest sight was just outside of the front of the structure - a literal field of fire, aligned in neat rows and columns that made the white and blue flames seem more like an actual garden than anything else.

A sole figure stood outside of the front gates of the majestic building, casually waiting for the two Daiesthai in front of him to open the gates and allow him passage. His short, neatly-trimmed white hair and red eyes served to give him a rather imposing appearance, and the immaculately kept navy blue business suit he wore was a sharp contrast to the white and black-lined robes of the demons in front of him.

"You may enter," one of the Daiesthai growled, stepping away from the swinging gates as they parted to allow access into the inner courtyard. The white-haired man simply nodded, the motion his only acknowledgment as he walked further into the Overlord's palace. The gate he stepped through was just that - merely an entrance and outer wall, meant to keep others out and away from the main complex of the palace itself. In front of the man now stretched an expansive courtyard nearly a hundred and fifty yards in length, decorated with trees and shrubs and lined with beautifully-crafted stone tiles. A single large fountain, shaped like a chalice, poured water out into a small pool near the middle of the courtyard, and two sets of stairs that led up to the second floor of the structure rested towards the back of the area.

"The Overlord certainly manages to keep his holdings in a wondrous state, it seems," the man said to himself as he approached the center of the courtyard, uncaring to several demons who were now taking notice of his arrival. Some reacted with curiosity, others in outright fear - a rarity within a plane that prided strength, intelligence, and combat ability above all. He ignored them, however, focusing on the sole task he had ahead of him as he proceeded to the large, stone staircases near the edge of the area. The demons below continued to watch him as he ascended the stairs, wondering what such a person might be doing here as he disappeared from sight, entering into another part of the palace as quickly as he had come.

* * *

[Nether Plane, Chateau du Suzerain, Overlord's Throne Room]

* * *

The interior of the palace was just as exquisite as the exterior, the white-haired man thought as he stepped quietly over the stone floors of the building, approaching the doors leading into the Overlord's throne room. Suits of armor from many periods in Nether Plane history lined the walls, along with many other items of note - portraits of exceptionally powerful and skilled Daiesthai, both past and present and murals of famous events and places within the realm being just a few of many. Even the occasional chandelier hung from the arched ceiling, adding a touch more class to the archaically-designed palace.

The doors in front of him opened as he approached, allowing him entrance into the room even as two others exited. Both figures were dressed in the same white and black-lined outfits that the man had seen the other Daiesthai wearing, but with slight differences - one, a male Daiesthai with spiky blue hair, had the upper part of his 'coat' left open, exposing his bare chest, while the other, a female Daiesthai with long black hair, wore her coat entirely open with a long, purple dress underneath. Each of the two seemed to have much greater auras of power about them as well, almost commanding attention by their presence alone. Neither one paid him so much as a second glance as they passed, clearing the way for the man to enter the chamber and speak with the one within.

Inside was no less ornately designed than the rest of the castle, but seemed much more utilitarian and subtle in its design. The elaborate murals and sculptures seen throughout the castle were almost nonexistent, with one of the largest decorations within being a grand banquet table, filled with a dozen chairs and stationed directly in the center in the room. The most fascinating decoration, however, lay at the very back of the room. Ahead of the man, sitting on a throne raised above floor level and overseeing the room, sat a man with short, brown hair, one single lock dipping down and resting between eyes that watched his guest's entry. Quietly, he stood from the throne, his bored expression replaced with fascination as he descended from his place, his white coat shifting as he walked.

"Welcome to the Nether Plane, Lord Wilhelm," Aizen Sosuke, the Overlord of the Nether Plane, spoke, spreading his arms wide in greeting. "I must say, this is quite a rare occurrence - this marks the second time an Author has seen fit to grace us with their presence."

Author - the word meant little to most; only those such as Freya and Aizen, as well as other high-ranking officials within the planes understood just who and what an Author was. In essence, they were the creators of dimensions, beings capable of the creation of worlds and galaxies, even planes of existence for their own ideas and goals. The man now standing in front of Aizen, Wilhelm, was one such being - and as such, demanded respect by his presence alone.

"It appears that you've continued to maintain order here, Aizen. No small feat, given the nature of this place." Wilhelm's voice was quiet, his eyes seeming to examine every facet of the room in an instant as Aizen stepped down from the throne.

"My Espada have seen to much of my success in that area," Aizen commented, gesturing for Wilhelm to take a seat at the dining table. Wilhelm obliged the Overlord, taking his place towards the middle of one side while Aizen took a seat directly opposite. "However, I'm certain you came for a reason other than to praise my leadership. What brings you to the Nether Plane, Lord Wilhelm?"

"I have a request to make of you."

Aizen seemed to straighten just slightly, his curiosity piqued by what an Author could possibly want. "A request, you say?"

"Indeed. It is but a small one, you understand. I wish to the services of one of your chosen for a short time, if possible."

For a brief moment, Aizen was taken aback - what would an Author need a Planeswalker for, let alone one from the Nether Plane? The Planeswalkers under Aizen weren't exactly known for their moral compass.

"I see...certainly you have a reason for your, if I may be so bold, unusual request?"

Wilhelm nodded lightly. "I have an experiment to carry out within this realm, and it requires that materials first be gathered while other pieces are moved around the board," he explained, still being vague as to his true purpose.

"So, you wish for one of mine to play the role of ferryman? That's rather unbecoming, considering their station."

"In a manner of speaking," Wilhelm responded, lacing his fingers together. Aizen was silent for several seconds as he considered the offer - the man was being intentionally cryptic as to his true motive, but he was willing to humor the Author's request, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

"I assume you already had one in mind?"

"I believe the man's name is Dmitri Yuriev," Wilhelm confirmed, earning a slight nod and smile from Aizen.

"One of my most recent additions, yes," Aizen affirmed. "Very well, then. I shall inform him immediately of this agreement. Where shall I send him to contact you?"

"Any location within the mortal plane will suffice. I will take care of the rest from there."

"Very well, then. I'll inform him of his directive upon your departure, Lord Wilhelm."

"Thank you, Aizen. Your service will aid me greatly in the near future."

"I'm _of course_ more than happy to assist you, Lord Wilhelm," Aizen remarked, his smile bordering almost upon being too hospitable for Wilhelm's liking. The Author stood from the table then, beginning to depart the room with little more than a nod to accompany his leaving. Aizen watched him go silently, his thoughts turning to what kind of 'experiment' Wilhelm could possibly want Dmitri Yuriev's assistance with even as he summoned one of his servants into the room.

He would have time enough to watch the mortal plane and learn of Wilhelm's plans, he reasoned - perhaps even find some way to use them to further his own. For now, however, he would be content with observing, waiting until the right moment to move the rest of the table in his favor.

* * *

[July 1, 2152 | Esthar, Pandora Café | 11:48 PM]

* * *

Most establishments in Esthar had closed up for the night by the time Tetsuya Kurabasa arrived at the Pandora Café. However, the quaint restaurant was known to be one of the few that stayed open late, possibly to cater to those who worked night shifts or late hours in the industrial and business sectors of the city.

The young SeeD pushed open the oaken doors to the café, taking a look around as he hung his white coat up on a rack near the entrance - the doorman had gone home for the night, as had most non-essential employees, leaving the café's interior almost barren except for a select few patrons. His eyes scanned the room until he noticed the person he was looking for, the woman he'd spoken with before the graduation ceremony

'_Looks like she had to work late,' _Tetsuya thought to himself as he began to walk towards the table, noticing that she was still dressed in more formal business clothes - a white blouse and dark blue skirt - as opposed to casual attire.

"Long day at work, Hikari-chan?" Tetsuya greeted, smiling warmly at the woman as he approached.

"Too long," she replied, her voice quiet and holding a hint of fatigue to it. She turned in her seat, kissing Tetsuya as he walked over to the table before letting him sit down at the other chair.

For those that knew her, Hikari Tanaka was somewhat of a remarkable individual, both in outward appearance and in other facets of her life. Her appearance was notable because of a set of distinguishing characteristics - she possessed short hair that was a mild shade of light-blue and eyes that appeared red, both features of a form of albinism that she'd been born with. Most people found the outward appearance strange, sometimes unsettling when combined with her often-serious personality. That same personality, however, along with her high degree of intelligence, helped her in her daily job as the head of security at Vector Industries, the biggest military technology company in Esthar.

"Trouble at the company, or just a long shift?" Tetsuya asked.

"The president was away on business today, and we were a little shorthanded on security detail," Hikari replied. "I had my hands full just making my rounds, let alone trying to organize everyone else into new routes."

"Sounds stressful...how long have you been at it today?"

"Eleven hours," she said, the fatigue creeping into her voice a bit more as she spoke. "I didn't leave until I had checked the main labs over personally."

Tetsuya blinked in surprise - he'd seen the Vector Industries complex, and knew that the entirety of the company's holdings in Esthar spanned more than a few blocks in the industrial sector. "What about your second?"

"He was one of the ones out."

"Fine time to take a day off, huh?" Tetsuya remarked, trying to make his significant other feel better about the situation. "Well, at least you can relax now - day's over with."

"I suppose it is..." she said quietly, leaning forward and burying her face in her hands for a moment.

"Come on," Tetsuya said as he watched, standing up and placing one hand on Hikari's shoulder while pushing his chair back to the table with the other. "You need to get some sleep. I'll drive you home, if you want."

"That sounds nice," she admitted, also standing up and replacing her chair at the table as she grabbed a small, black messenger bag with the Vector Industries logo on it from the ground. "By the way...do you think that you could do me a small favor tomorrow?"

"What do you need?" he asked, reclaiming his coat from the rack at the door and pushing the door open for Hikari to exit.

"I was supposed to take something to your father today, but I wasn't able to leave because of our employees being out sick," she said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "I was hoping that you could take it to him for me in the morning - I'd rather he have it tomorrow morning since I couldn't deliver it today."

Tetsuya opened his car's passenger door for Hikari as he thought about it for a moment, placing a hand on top of the door and leaning down to face her again after she'd gotten inside.

"Tell you what - I'll do better than that. I've got a key, so I could go in and put it in his office for you before I drop you off, if you want. I'll leave a note for him on his desk about it, too, so he sees it tomorrow."

Hikari smiled after he finished speaking, nodding gently. "That works. I knew I could count on you, Tetsu-kun."

"Hey, if you can't count on me, who _can _you count on?" he said with a grin, leaning down to kiss her once more before walking around to the driver's side and getting in as well. Too tired to even bother making a joke at her lover's expense, Hikari simply stayed quiet as Tetsuya turned the key, putting the car in drive and pulling out onto the highways of the capital city.

* * *

[July 2, 2152 | Galbadia City, Rubedo's | 12:37 PM]

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as Vinzer Deling Jr. sat down inside the restaurant for his usual lunch break. Rubedo's was surprisingly empty for the middle of the day, owing to Galbadia City's unusual lack of daytime activity. Only a few scattered patrons were dining in the noon hour, split fairly evenly between the inside booths and the outside tables. Even the activity on the road was scarce, mostly the occasional bus and small car taking people down the city streets. Still, despite the nighttime focus that the city held, the industrial sectors still worked as hard or harder than many of the other cities in the province, giving the city as a whole a position of power in the Galbadian province that few other cities could lay claim to.

Nevertheless, despite the peaceful atmosphere, the Deling family head couldn't suppress a scowl that cut across his face as he thought about the recent events within the city. Duran's revolt, a sickening and startling uprising _by his own men_ had cost him valuable resources and manpower to clean up, something that would take some time to recover from, and furthermore...

He loathed to even think the thought. SeeD forces coming in to bail him and his men out of the mess they'd been thrown into? The very mention made him sick to his stomach. The Garden under his control, Galbadia Garden, had been powerless to even make a move lest they risk the threat of more defectors being amongst the forces. Having to call on an outside Garden to get their help made Deling's forces look weak and inadequate, and if there was one thing in the world that Deling hated, it was being made to look a weak fool. Press conferences he'd held mere hours after the solution to the incident had done something to restore his image in the eyes of the people, but he knew that immediate action would be required in order to cement the loyalty of his men and keep this from becoming a recurring event.

The server finally appeared at Deling's table, greeting the Galbadian president graciously as he often did - after all, the restaurant _was_ owned by the Deling family, as were many other establishments across town. Deling ate here quite often not solely for that fact, however, but also because he found the food was quite delectable. As the waiter stood and waited for the president's order, Deling made a show of looking over the menu, eyes never resting long on any one item, before finally deciding on some kind of chicken with garden tomatoes, among other smaller items. The waiter merely wrote down the order and departed with another curt nod, once more leaving Deling alone with the scant few patrons inside. For all that he ate, Deling's associates noticed, he never seemed to gain much weight at all, if any, seeming to possess an almost inhuman metabolism that kept him as fit as those who watched their weight and diet with a fanatical eye.

Several long minutes passed as Deling waited for his food, a newspaper out in front of him as he took note of recent events. His eyes drifted down one page, and the scowl returned - the media had, predictably, leapt all over the recent events and blown them completely out of context. Several had blamed the entire Galbadian military - army, navy, and air force - itself for inciting the entire thing, even though it was started by the leadership of a few army personnel. The faith in the military had dropped noticeably in just the past few days, as well as faith in his own regime, which was something he had no stomach to tolerate. Duran's court-martial had yet to actually reach the courts, though it was scheduled for just a few days from the present time, meaning that the damage needed to be rectified now before any more right-wing activists decided to jump on the figurative bandwagon. Who knew what kind of remarks might be uttered at trial, even more 'evidence' for political enemies to use against him in the coming weeks and months.

"Your meal, mister President," the server said, carefully setting down the largest of several plates that he was carefully balancing upon the table in front of Deling. The smell of succulent and perfectly grilled chicken breast wafted up, causing Deling to smile as the waiter finished placing the plates down on the table. Prepared to perfection, as always - he'd made a fine choice when he chose to acquire the restaurant shortly after his father's death.

"Thank you," he remarked, nodding politely to the waiter as he began to depart, leaving Deling to eat his meal in silence.

No sooner than he had picked up his fork and taken the second bite of his meal, however, did another figure approach his table. Without a word, the figure sat down at the table, picked up a piece of buttered, toasted bread that was sitting on a plate, and took a bite. Deling's fork paused halfway to his mouth, the marinated chicken dripping sauce back onto his plate as he stared at the 'thief.'

"...Might I ask what you think you're doing?" he inquired, the tone somewhere between disbelieving and threatening. The figure across from him swallowed the bite of his toast that they'd taken before looking at the president seated across from them, the smiling face of the Pillar of Destiny meeting the frowning face of Galbadia's leader.

"Eating," she replied nonchalantly, taking another bite of the toast and leaving Deling to stare at her audacity in mute shock. Finally, he managed to throw off the shackles of confusion and turn in his seat, looking around before angrily calling out for a waiter.

"By the way, no one can hear you," Destine remarked casually, her speech slightly impaired by the toast that she was still eating. Deling turned back again to stare at her as if she was crazy, before once again turning away and calling more loudly for a waiter. Destine sighed, putting the piece of half-eaten toast down and reaching for a fork and a small salad on the side of the table.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Giving no indication that he had heard the statement or, more accurately, that he cared, Deling pulled a cellular phone from his pocket and began calling the police. He'd have the Galbadia City police department here in less than five minutes, surely they'd be able to -

"...What part of 'you are currently unable to be heard, seen, or anything else' don't you understand?" she asked, now chewing on a mouthful of the salad that she'd taken from Deling's meal. "Good salad, by the way - first-class stuff, there."

Deling was more than a little annoyed by the woman's flippant behavior now. "Who do you think you are? You come in here, _take my food _without warning, and-"

"Make you an offer you can't refuse?" Destine finished, putting her salad fork down and staring directly at Deling, her demeanor suddenly all-business instead of the aloof attitude she had moments ago. Deling stopped short, caught off-guard by the change.

"...An offer, you say?" He had his suspicions of the woman's true nature, of course, but keeping her talking was the logical option to learn more, and Deling wasn't one to argue with logic. Destine offered little more than a nod at first, however.

"So. Who's working in your city?" she asked, abruptly seeming to disregard Deling's question and change topics in her conversation with the Galbadian president. Deling's face turned to one of momentary confusion...then solidified again into a stony mask. He knew what she was getting at with her question - she was referring to his underground holdings in and around the city.

"Those who should be working, of course," he responded, not giving anything away outwardly but letting her know that he was onto her meaning.

Destine's smile grew a little bit bigger as Deling spoke, the Pillar picking up the salad fork again and taking another bite - ignoring the slight frown that crossed Deling's face - before speaking again. "That's not what I hear around these parts."

Deling's frown grew more noticeable after Destine finished speaking. "Are you saying that someone is...undercutting me?"

"I'll not be so callous as to name names, of course, but...I might've run across a few suspicious-looking documents that contain information pertinent to the matter."

Destine's left hand flickered for a second before a small compact disc popped into existence, seeming to just _appear _when there was nothing there an instant prior. Quietly, she placed the disc on the table in front of Deling, who arched an eyebrow.

"Surely you're not going to just give me this information as a gesture of goodwill. You must want something in return," he said, skeptical as to the woman's motives. Destine looked momentarily appalled that he'd even suggest such a thing, putting the fork down again and clasping her hands together.

"My dear president, certainly not. I'm merely...interested in seeing the continuation of good business in this fine city. Whether you take it or not - and, what you do with it if you do - is no one's business but your own."

Deling glanced down at the reflective disc on the table in front of him, picking it up and looking it over for several long seconds before looking up again at his mysterious benefactor. When he did, however...Destine was gone, no indication that she'd ever left nor that she'd ever been there. Instead, the waiter that had brought him his meal was standing there, looking at him with something akin to concern.

"Is something wrong, sir?" he asked, noticing that Deling had barely seemed to touch his food, something which wasn't normal for the president.

"No, everything is fine," he responded, looking up at the waiter for a brief moment before standing from his booth, pulling out several Gil notes and leaving them on the counter as he took the disc from its surface. "Merely a lot on my mind today, that's all."

"I understand, sir," the waiter said with a nod. "Regardless, thank you for visiting today," he added as Deling began to walk towards the door.

"The service was excellent, as always. Good day," Deling replied, pushing open the glass door and beginning to call for his driver as he stepped out onto the city streets once more.

* * *

Yes, the Overlord of the Nether Plane is, in fact, Aizen Sosuke - all blame / credit for that, as well as most of the ideas pertaining to the Nether Plane itself, can go to my co-author Iron Reaver. Those of you who've played Xenosaga may well recognize Wilhelm, who was played by Daniel Wesley Rydell, and Dmitri Yuriev, who was played by Iron Reaver.

I took a little more care in describing things in the Nether Plane, as that's a place that will have a larger part later on in the story. It's not as important now, but it will have its moment to shine in time. As always, please read and review.


	42. I, III, IX: Fireproof

Well, my inspiration came back to me at an interesting time - I sat down and wrote this chapter in the better part of five hours. Not much to say about it; it'll speak mostly for itself.

Begin!  
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* * *

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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter IX—Fireproof_

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* * *

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[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Presidential Palace | 2:14 PM]

* * *

The Estharian Presidential Palace was truly a remarkable sight, the figurative crown jewel in Esthar's shining technological city. It represented the many technological, judiciary, and commerce advances that the capital city had made over the many centuries of Esthar's existence. Fifteen hundred years of technological advancement and research, of advanced civilization and world power, of unified ancestry and common knowledge.

In fifteen hundred seconds, nearly a quarter of that history was ablaze.

Black smoke rose ominously over the afternoon sky as sirens wailed across the area, firefighters, policemen, and Estharian soldiers all working together to save as many human lives as they could. The President had been evacuated as soon as the fire had been noticed, with aides and members of Esthar's elite Presidential Guard moving quickly to secure their country's leader and get him out of the building. Laguna had been greatly worried during his escape about his chief aides, Kiros Seagill and Ward Zaback, but the guard's commander had reassured him that they were fine and that he should focus on leaving at the time.

Now, standing outside of the Palace and watching firefighters try and control the blaze, Laguna felt another pang of sadness in his heart as the fire raged on. The Palace was his home, and he hoped that everyone inside had been able to make it out safely.

"Laguna!"

Laguna's dim expression brightened at the sight of two figures, a dark-skinned man with short-cropped hair and dreadlocks accompanied by a much-larger man with a bald head, as they approached him and his guardsmen.

"Kiros! Ward! Did everyone else make it out okay?" Laguna called back, waving his hand at his two old war companions.

"Couple people have some burns, but none are life-threatening," Kiros remarked as he and Ward walked up to Laguna. The larger man took a look back at the burning building, which firefighters were now making progress on controlling, before turning back to Kiros.

"I think Ward's thinking the same thing I am," Kiros added, causing Laguna to fold his arms.

"That would be?"

"This wasn't an accident." Kiros' voice was flat and to the point, and Laguna looked down as he took Kiros' words into consideration. "We won't know for sure until we can get inside and check things out, of course, but..."

"You're pretty sure something's up, huh?" the President asked, frowning slightly.

"Did you see the news this morning?" Kiros asked, causing Laguna to shake his head - he'd been meeting with the president of Executive Outcomes earlier to discuss a project that he wanted to contract their company for. "Well, it was all over the news this morning that there was a string of fires in the business district of Galbadia City last night and early this morning. The police don't have much hard evidence to support it yet, but they're claiming that the majority, if not all, were arson."

Laguna's eyes suddenly perked up at what Kiros was getting at. "You're thinking that those fires and this one are connected."

"Just a guess right now, but yeah. It's too coincidental, even for cities halfway across the world from each other."

"You don't believe in the whole 'Chocobo flaps its wings in Balamb, there's a hurricane in FH' idea, do you?" Laguna said with a grin. Ward glanced over at Kiros for a few seconds, causing Kiros to chuckle.

"Nope, and I don't think Ward does either," he said, looking back at the smoke rising from the structure. "What do you think we should do?"

Laguna shrugged stiffly - he'd not given it much thought yet, so concerned was he over his people. "Not really sure, Kiros. Press conference?" His smile grew even bigger for a moment - the mention of press conferences, given Laguna's penchant for nervousness, was usually good for a laugh among the trio as a reminder of easier days.

"And have you get a leg cramp on national television? Too risky," Kiros joked, seeing a similar smile on Ward's face. "Seriously, though...we need to do some investigation. If these are connected, things are gonna get messy."

Laguna nodded his agreement, placing a hand to his chin as he thought about how best to handle the situation. "Yeah...we'll need to handle things fast if there is a connection, too. It _would_ be a mess if the same thing happened in Galbadia, after what just happened over there."

Kiros stayed silent for a few moments, running through ideas in his mind. The Presidential Guard would make a good choice for investigation, but they would probably be too busy for the time being securing the palace proper to begin any serious investigation. By that time, whoever was responsible could've covered their tracks and skipped town, and then any leads they might have would be gone. There were a few other contacts they could look into around town, but they weren't suited to working on such a short time frame. Frowning, Kiros' mind continued to work, going over possible sources for help that Esthar could turn to...before an idea suddenly came to him.

"SeeD," Kiros suddenly said, the statement causing Laguna to return his attention to his aide.

"Huh?"

"Trabia Garden," Kiros clarified, Laguna making no move to stop Kiros from continuing his explanation. "We could call Trabia Garden and get them to send a team out here to help investigate - it would be a matter of national security if the President's life were at risk, you know, and this kind of thing just happened in Galbadia, like you said."

Laguna nodded lightly, mulling over the idea that Kiros had just explained. It would free up the Presidential Guard for more important matters, and it would also ensure that great care was taken in the process - SeeD held themselves to the highest standards, after all.

"Go ahead and make the call, Kiros," Laguna finally said, prompting his aide and friend to nod and take out a cellular phone, placing the call in a matter of seconds. Almost immediately, Kiros heard the voice of a younger boy on the other end, his voice clear and professional.

"Office of the Garden Commander of Trabia Garden, Petty Officer Ein Beoulve speaking. How may I help you?"

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Raj Ahten's Office | 2:58 PM]

* * *

'_Another mission, so soon?'_ I think to myself, stepping quickly and quietly down the hallways of the third floor of Garden. _'World must be a mess right now.'_

Graduation was just two days ago, and following one of my classes on Alchemy earlier in the morning and afternoon hours today, I received a message that I was to be going on a mission and that I needed to report to the office of Raj Dharmad Ahten, whoever that was. I haven't quite gotten to know the names of each of the command officials and faculty in Garden, and so all that I'm doing now is looking for any indication that I'm in the right area.

Whoever organized these offices must have had some strange and warped plan when they did so, because it follows no obvious rule of departmental, alphabetical, or even ranking organization at all. At least, none that I'm aware of.

"Marché...Bayloh...Prime...Drake..." I mutter, reading off the names on the doors to myself as I pass. "Where the heck could it -"

"Excuse me?" a voice says from in front of me, causing me to stop and look at the person standing there.

"Silvia?" I ask, recognizing the brown-haired SeeD quickly. "What is it?"

"You looked a bit lost...what are you looking for?"

"I was told to go to the office of someone named Raj Ahten...whoever that is," I explain, walking over to her and glancing around at more doors as I do so. "But I have absolutely no idea where his office is, or even if I'm in the right place."

"You're on the mission too?" she asks suddenly, her momentary surprise causing me to blink.

"_You're_ on the mission?" I echo, practically mirroring her own surprised look. "Well, at least I know I'll have good help."

The younger SeeD giggles, then shrugs. "I'm not exactly sure where his office is myself, but I think we're getting close. Most of the offices for officers of the Republic of the Sphere are in and around this hallway, from what I've seen."

"At least I'm not completely lost," I remark, starting to walk further down the hallway along with Silvia. "So, any idea what this mission's about?"

"Not really," she replies. "I don't know where we're going, or who is going with us, if anyone."

"I'd hope they wouldn't send two newly-inducted SeeD members out alone," I state, looking over at her as we walk. "Then again...you never know."

"That's true. I don't think they would send us on anything too dangerous, though," she says.

"Fair enough."

As I start to turn left down the hallway, moving further away from the stairs I entered the third floor at, Silvia motions towards the right, noting that she'd already been down that way with no luck. Nodding, I start to walk down the hallway to the right, examining and muttering each name on the doors to myself, much to Silvia's amusement. Finally, five doors down on the left side, a plaque on the door boldly states "Commodore Raj Dharmad Ahten," with "Knight of the Sphere" underneath in smaller text.

Silvia and I both turn to each other momentarily before I reach out and knock lightly on the door. A voice from within tells us both to enter, and Silvia pulls the door open to step inside, followed by me a moment later as I shut the door behind me.

"Welcome, Ensign Conrad, Ensign Powell," the same voice greets, causing both of us to salute as we turn our gazes to the figure behind the desk at the back of the room. A young officer sits there, a boy not much older than I with slightly-spiked brown hair and brown eyes. His uniform is the same as ours, with the notable exception of teal trim along the shoulders and his rank insignia, featuring the Trabia Garden insignia trimmed in light red and five vertical bars to the left, connected by a single bar behind them in the exact center. His voice, though calm, seems to hold attention, and he nods to the both of us politely as I notice that there are three other figures in the room.

"Afternoon," Andréa Beoulve says, also offering a polite nod. The other two, Naoki Ishida and Sumiko Remiere, likewise greet Silvia and myself, both of us saying 'hello' even as Commodore Ahten motions for us to take a seat.

"It's good that all of you are here so quickly - the sooner we can move, the better. I'll keep this briefing short and simple. About an hour ago, there was a large fire at the Presidential Palace in Esthar. No major injuries reported, though there was quite a bit of damage to one wing of the complex. We received a phone call from Kiros Seagill, one of President Loire's advisors, requesting that a team of SeeDs be dispatched to Esthar to aid with an investigation. The President and his chief advisors believe that the incident may not be accidental, but rather an act of arson."

"Arson?" Andréa asks, sitting up a little straighter in her chair. "The news this morning reported a few incidents that are being labeled as arson in Galbadia, didn't they?"

"They did indeed," Raj replies. "Those at the palace believe that the events may be connected, though the authorities are still investigating those instances."

"First Galbadia, now Esthar," Naoki adds, a thoughtful look on his face. "It could well be the work of the same people."

"The five of you will be going to Esthar to aid President Loire in his investigation of the incident. Before that, however, I should inform you that, due to Major Beoulve's promotion, you four have been assigned to her squad from this point on. Remember that following your squad leader's orders and generally just using your best judgment is the key to success, and you'll do fine."

A chorus of agreement comes from the four of us that causes Raj Ahten to smile, obviously pleased by the lack of objections and our good attitude. "Well, then, I've nothing else to say. Does anyone have any questions?"

"I assume we'll still be able to connect to the Garden Network and global news feeds while in Esthar using our GLDs?" Naoki asks.

"That's correct," Raj answers, nodding. "Hopefully, the situation in Galbadia will yield information that may help you while you're in Esthar. Any other questions?"

The five of us look amongst ourselves for a few moments, before Andréa speaks up. "No, sir."

"You'll be leaving for Esthar as soon as you have your equipment ready, then. Good luck to all of you."

Without any further ado, the five of us stand up and exit the room in a calm manner, Andréa grabbing a scythe that was leaning near the door before leading the way out.

"Congratulations on the promotion," I say as we exit, having been unaware that she'd been promoted recently.

"Thanks. They promoted me yesterday, in fact, before the graduation ceremony," she explains. "Now, do any of you need to head back and grab equipment before we leave?"

All of us run a quick check of what we have on our person at her words; Garden policy is that while cadets aren't allowed to carry weapons within Garden except during combat training, Ensign-ranked officers and higher are allowed and expected to be armed and prepared for combat at any time. Both of my twin katanas are in sheathes hanging at my right side, and my various throwing knife sheathes are in their appropriate places as well, as well as a small pouch on my left side for potions in case they're needed. My comrades are similarly equipped, though their weapons vary - Naoki appears to have a single katana at his side and two pouches at the back of his belt, Sumiko has a rapier and a single pouch similar to mine, and Silvia has only three pouches on her belt, one on either side and one in the back.

"My gauntlets are in here," Silvia says, patting the pouch on her right side.

"Fair enough," Andréa replies, shrugging slightly. "Well, if no one needs to go back for anything, we should hit the airship hangar. I believe they're already waiting for us, or will be by the time we get there."

When there are no dissents, she nods, turning and heading down the hall without a second glance back. "Then I'll expect to see you all in ten minutes. Dismissed."

Chuckling, I start to follow her down the hall, as do the rest of the members of my new squad. At the very least, it appears that Andréa is already comfortable in the role.

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 3:08 PM]

* * *

The door to the headmaster's office quietly clicked shut, the low sound of footsteps able to be heard as Albel Nox made his way around the polished oaken table in the center of the headmaster's office, taking a seat around halfway down and picking up a small, yellow manila envelope that had been placed there.

"Open," the Trabian headmaster said, his back turned as he stared out the window at the back of the office. The General of the Sphere turned at the sound of the voice, staring at the Senior with interest.

"What is it?"

"Just look," he replied simply, the tone of his voice telling Albel that something was certainly not quite right. Without another word, he opened the envelope and pulled out the contents inside - several sheets of paper, the top of which held a long list of business names and addresses, alphabetized and numbering in the dozens.

"Last night, around forty of our business fronts in Galbadia City were hit," the headmaster said quietly, his voice masking the irritation he felt. "Most were torched, but a few were forcefully taken and their owners and staff...evicted."

Albel quietly ran down the list of names with an analytical gaze. Most of the names seemed to be linked in no apparent way, other than the fact that Darius Sr. owned them or had a stake in their operation. At first glance, they appeared to be entirely random hits, but almost all were profitable ventures. He began tallying a rough estimate of damages in his mind, glancing back up at the headmaster after several seconds.

"Six hundred thousand Gil. Nothing we can't replace," he commented, earning a subtle nod from Darius Sr.

"Of course. That's a drop in the bucket for our family. Keep reading."

Albel turned to the second sheet, scanning its contents with the same critical eye. A list of people, also - with exceptions - seeming to have no ties with each other, but most of whom Albel recognized as involved with Senior's dealings in Galbadia.

"Total casualties are around fifty," the Senior said. "However, in our defense, we did kill almost as many as we lost."

Albel smirked, despite himself. "It speaks of the incompetence of the worms in the Deling family."

"The third sheet, Nox," Senior continued, giving only the slightest acknowledgment of Albel's statement. Once more, the General of the Sphere turned the page, this time greeted with a black and white photo, taken from security camera, presumably of a safe house recently set up in Galbadia City. He couldn't quite tell what, but something seemed slightly off as he looked at the picture...right before he noticed it, eyes making out the blurry details of the security photo.

Dead bodies - six of them, from the looks of it.

"Our safe house was compromised?" he said, his voice having a subtle growl to it. The figure at the window simply nodded.

"We have a fairly good idea that it was the Deling family," the Senior remarked, turning around to face Albel with a dark frown on his face. "I don't like it at all."

Albel nodded, taking a phone from his side and flipping it open. "I'll have a team standing by within the hour." If possible, the headmaster's frown deepened as he walked over to take a seat across from Albel.

"No, Albel. Not yet."

"Sir?"

"Deling is...volatile," the Senior remarked, moving his hands into a vague temple shape as he closed his eyes. "Any moves we make outside, in broad daylight, may be taken in the wrong way by our supporters. One wrong move, and we might find ourselves _with _Galbadia City...but _without _business. I'm sure you understand why that cannot become the case."

"Then what are you going to do?" Albel asked, now truly curious as to the family leader's intentions.

"It's funny you should say that," the headmaster replied, a sharp knock on the door catching his attention. "Right on time, too. Enter!"

The door opened at the Senior's words, allowing a second figure to enter the room. His face nor clothing could be seen, both covered by a long, black cloak and hood that covered most of his body from view.

"DeValle," the figure muttered. "I heard you had a job for me."

"I believe it's tailored to your particular skills. Please, have a seat," Darius Sr. replied, prompting the figure to walk over and take a seat beside Albel. Reaching up, he removed his hood, letting the Senior and Albel both see his face before discussion began.

"Brother," Albel said, barely glancing at the face of the person beside him. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," Jarok Nox said, taking a similar glance at the face of his twin - and older - brother. Few people outside of the DeValle family were aware that Albel Nox had a brother, most of those remaining being those within the DeValle family still alive who knew their father, Glou Nox, decades ago before his death.

"Jarok, I believe you know of the situation within Galbadia City?" the Senior questioned, causing the younger Nox to nod. A moment later, the headmaster procured a similar folder to that which Albel had been shown, sliding it across the table to Jarok. Much as Albel had done minutes prior, he opened the folder and began to peruse the contents for a few seconds before replying.

"I do. I was in the preliminary meeting for it. Deling wanted a harsh blow - financial and bodily. Problem for him is, it looks like he didn't accomplish much of either."

Senior's eyes narrowed as Jarok continued to look through the files. "Mister Nox, I need to know where your loyalties lie at this moment."

Jarok smirked, the look making him appear, for just an instant, much more identical to his twin, before his face returned into a stoic expression. "If you're asking whether I'm going to leave this meeting and tell the Deling family that you're pissed off 'cause they hit your fronts? No. He already knows that, after all." The Senior frowned at the statement, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"How much do you know of the strikes last night?"

"Besides what the news is saying? It was supposed to be indiscriminate. Everyone was told that if it had any connections to the DeValle family, they could torch it and do whatever they wanted to the ones inside. They even got some information about your safe house, and sent the Silver Dragon herself out - I heard that she took your safe house out rather quickly, too," Jarok said with a smile, also leaning back in his chair.

"That doesn't matter," the headmaster remarked with a sigh. Jarok quirked an eyebrow, leaning forward once more.

"So, what's so important as to call me in?"

"As much as I would love to have you and your brother go in and wipe out the Deling family," Senior began, noticing the momentary look of satisfaction that the statement brought to Albel's face, "that's not in our best interests. I simply want you to deliver a message to Deling."

"And what might that be?" Jarok asked, his lips moving up into a slight smile.

"I want you to inform them that I wish to broker a deal between our families. Surely an arrangement could be worked out for our families' mutual benefit...however, let them know that if I do not receive a positive response by midnight tomorrow, that I will have their business assets within the city torched as they did mine."

Jarok scoffed at the Senior's statement. "You know that Deling may be a moron, but he's not afraid of petty threats."

"There may be a monetary incentive for their family should they accept my offer," he countered, unflinching.

"Look, I know that you're pissed off about the attacks, but I _also _know this family. You've got resources that most governments don't have - what's the point of dealing with Deling when you know he's not going to accept the deal?"

"Deling's operations are important to us because the area can be very profitable if we can get a strong foothold. His attacks on our operations, however, have stopped that. If we can appeal to him, we may be able to solve this situation without violence, which will reduce the risk of damage to our image in the area," Darius Sr. replied, not missing a beat in countering Jarok's argument. Jarok wasn't fazed, however, leaning back and placing his feet on the conference table as he looked between Albel and Darius Sr.

"You've both gotta know that Deling won't be afraid, and he probably won't take a bribe either," Jarok remarked, clearly skeptical about the headmaster's supposed plan.

"Then we must take the Deling family out of the equation, by any means necessary." The Senior's statement caused Jarok to chuckle darkly, impressed by the elder DeValle's statement.

"I'll give you credit - you've got balls. Assassination of the Deling leaders, right?"

"If that's what it takes," the Senior responded, his voice firm. Jarok smirked again, nodding.

"Your family's able to pay for my services...but are you willing?" Jarok asked. In response to his statement, Albel pointed to the fourth paper in Jarok's folder, speaking up for the first time in several minutes.

"Your contract. I believe you'll find that should you take the mission, you'll be well paid for your time." Jarok looked over the contract, reading the lines of print silently for several seconds before letting out a soft whistle and looking up at the Senior.

"Damn. If they go with peace, I get fifteen percent of the profits from the DeValle family, on top of eight hundred thousand Gil?"

The Senior simply nodded in reply. "Of course, if things change and peace becomes no longer an option, you'll also be paid well for your service." Jarok's eyes drifted back to the contract for a short time longer before he looked up once again, taking a pen from the center of the desk as he did so.

"I'll need some supplies."

The headmaster nodded in an understanding before moving back to his desk, picking up a phone there and pressing a button before putting it to his ear.

"I have someone I need you to attend to," he said, pausing as the voice on the other line spoke. "Don't argue with me. Just do what I ask." He took the phone from his ear afterwards, pressing a button once again before placing it back on his desk and stepping back towards the table.

"Of course, any of our remaining resources in Galbadia City are at your disposal. However, I would like to stress that in this situation, failure is not an option."

Jarok smiled, seeming to carelessly disregard the Senior's warning. "You obviously don't know who you're talking to."

The Senior shook his head at the words of Albel's younger brother as the door opened once more, this time revealing the stoic and slightly annoyed figure of Revolver DeValle. The middle DeValle son took one look at the table, seeing the three figures sitting there, before his eyes settled on Jarok.

"That the guy?" he growled, obviously displeased by what he had been asked to do.

"Yes. Please take care of any needs he may have for supplies. Jarok, you'll leave as soon as you're equipped and prepared."

The younger Nox brother stood from the table, meeting eyes with Revolver for a tense moment before Revolver turned, stepping out of the room with Jarok in tow. As the polished door shut behind them, Albel looked at the man sitting across from him.

"He's cocky. It'll probably get him killed someday," Albel muttered, causing the headmaster to chuckle.

"So are you, General."

"Touché."

* * *

As I said, my inspiration came back at an interesting time, specifically for the third portion of this chapter. That section, in the headmaster's office, is taken from chapter two of one of my co-author's stories, _Family Rites._ That story expands a bit more on events that will be referenced and mentioned later, so it's worth a look - the link to his profile is in my profile.

As always, please read and review.


	43. I, III, X: Flash of Blades

I blame Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the delays. Mostly. That is all.

Begin!

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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter X—Flash of Blades_

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[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Presidential Palace | 4:39 PM]

* * *

President Laguna Loire is a very..._interesting _person, I've realized. Just when you think you've got him pegged, when you think he's some random guy picked up off the streets that was lucky enough and liked enough by the populace to become the head of an entire nation, he goes and surprises you with something like an intellect hidden behind all the layers of obfuscating silliness and a jovial attitude. It must come with the politics of the position, I suppose.

The topic of the President's character quirks seems to have been the turn that our discussion took after a few minutes of discussion upon our arrival in Esthar. One thing is certain, though - the place is breathtakingly magnificent in all its technological splendor. I've never seen so many gadgets and machines, all perfectly calibrated and tested to do just the job they were created to do, and nothing beyond. Silvia spent a lot of the time on our drive - well, ride - here explaining a bit about the city, and all the attractions, bells, and whistles that came with being the most advanced city on the planet. Andréa also got in on the act, explaining a bit about the business sector of the city as we moved through the streets lined with tall, exquisitely-designed office complexes and factories. I had no idea there were so many thriving companies and industries based out of Esthar, and was even more surprised to learn just how much other companies around the globe collaborated with Estharian businesses to develop new technologies and products. To say that Esthar had been close to war a short time back, you'd never know it with the way the city seems to have kept thriving.

She also warned us about a whole host of other potential problems. The Hachikyuusan, an organization that could effectively be called the Estharian mafia from the looks of things, were known to have their main operations based out of the city - something which was semi-obvious, but no less relevant. Several other, smaller groups had also taken root in the city, leaving the Estharian police in a state of near-constant attempts to bring any one of them down, both to eliminate a group as a whole and to send a message of sorts to the rest. So far, none of the attempts had been successful.

"Don't let your guard down," she had said. "We're not here to start trouble, but we'll certainly finish it if needed. Stay sharp."

Now, after a brief yet interesting talk with President Loire, we're on our way to explore the rest of the Presidential Palace to see if we can find any leads on how the arsonists - assuming that is the case - got into the building. A woman by the name of Eve Hanley, the communications officer for the primary squad of the Presidential Guard, is accompanying us as a sort of liaison between the Guard and our squad, as well as to give us information about the Palace's layout that could help us. She's a modest-looking woman, with reddish-brown hair coming down below her shoulders and brown eyes, wearing some kind of white and blue form-fitting armor stamped with the insignia of Esthar's government. What seems to be a magnetic clamp of some kind keeps an assault rifle attached to the back of her armor, and the belt on her waist has a holstered pistol on her left hip, along with what look like grenades on the opposite side.

"Ventilation shafts?" I suggest, shrugging. "Always works in the movies."

"Not likely. All the shafts in this building contain laser tripwires at certain intervals," Eve replies, shaking her head. "They may have drilled through them to get in, but it's unlikely that they traveled any considerable distance through them. We've seen no signs of forced entry anywhere, but we're still examining the damaged areas - it's hard to determine what is fire damage and what might not be."

"An inside job, then?" Sumiko asks, coming to the next logical conclusion.

"Could be...I wouldn't know where to start looking for suspects, though. Everyone here in the Guard goes through a rigorous screening procedure before they're inducted, on top of what they've already been through to join the military. Anyone who enters the Palace goes through the same identification and screening processes that you went through, as well. If it was an inside job, then whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing, and how to beat our screens."

"Former Guard members?" Naoki asks, running with the idea. "Someone with a grudge, or a reason to seek revenge?"

"Very few people have ever been discharged from the Presidential Guard, and we keep close eye on them at all times. We would know if they were plotting anything, believe me."

For a moment, Andréa looks like she wants to remark on Hanley's comment, but seems to decide not to. "Then what about groups like the Hachikyuusan? Do you believe they'd have the motivation and skill to pull off something like this?"

Eve pauses for a few seconds, thinking about Andréa's question carefully. "There could be some motivation, potentially. We've had reports lately of known associates of the organization leaving this city and traveling to Dollet and Galbadia...but the reports came some time after the Presidential Palace in Galbadia was attacked. Right now, I don't see them as being responsible for it, but no one knows for sure."

"Well, then, it looks like the only option we have left is to take a look for ourselves," Andréa replies. "Assuming you'd be so kind as to lead the way to the scene, that is."

"We're not too far from it, actually. From what we can tell of our preliminary examination, the fire started in the west wing of the palace, and spread towards the center before the fire crews finally managed to put it out. Much of our administrative services were housed there, as well as the hard copies of our contracts and other files. Fortunately, everything is backed up in several different places inside and outside of the palace, so it's more of an inconvenience than anything else."

"Administrative services, you say?" Silvia starts, sounding as if she's just found another piece of the puzzle. "Do you think someone was trying to erase evidence of something?"

"Silvia, I'd be willing to bet against that," Andréa interjects, speaking up before Eve can. "You heard the lieutenant commander; there are several different locations containing backups of the files kept here. If someone was trying to erase records from the Estharian government, they would have targeted more locations than just this place. As far as I'm aware, there haven't been any other attacks in the city."

"You'd be correct," Eve adds, nodding. "This is the only location that was attacked."

"Maybe they left something behind we can use to track them down - you know, if this really was arson," I mention, adding my own proverbial two Gil into the conversation.

"That's fair," Naoki says. "Let's just keep going to the east wing and -"

Before Naoki can finish his sentence, a shrill ringing sound begins to echo through the halls of the building, some sort of high-pitched siren.

"What's going on?" Andréa asks quickly, her posture and demeanor gone from professional ease to ready and commanding in an instant as she looks at Eve.

"Unauthorized entry alarm!" Eve says, reaching up to her ear and pressing a button on some kind of communicator sitting there, vaguely resembling the hands-free devices on cellular phones. "Hanley, reporting. I'm currently just outside the west wing entrance with the SeeD team from Trabia Garden. What's the situation?" There's silence for a few seconds as she listens, all of us waiting much the same to find out the problem. "Understood. I'll be there immediately." The communication apparently finished, she looks over at Andréa. "We've got intruders in the east wing, in one of the laboratories there - Abel Squad is en route now to assist. Mind tipping the odds a little more?"

Andréa hefts the scythe she's carrying, resting it on her shoulders. "Just tip?" she comments, causing me to smirk a little at her attitude. Eve nods, then turns towards a hallway behind us.

"Come on, then - we'll have support from the Guard when we get there!"

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Presidential Palace, East Wing, Laboratory B-4 | 4:58 PM]

* * *

"That's garbage too..." the dark-haired woman named Frosty muttered, tossing a metallic orb of some kind over her shoulder before looking at a blond-haired woman to her left. "Mystique! What the hell are we looking for, anyhow?"

"We're looking for baubles," Mystique remarked, grinning and waving off the angry comment. "Just keep looking for shiny things." Frosty grumbled something under her breath, but continued sweeping the table she was standing near for anything that looked like what they'd been sent to retrieve.

On the left side of the room, Lancer and Seeker were combing over a wall full of grayish-white shelves and drawers, similar to what might be found in a post office's mail room and each encoding with a symbol or letter and number designation. Grunting, Lancer ripped one of the drawers out of the wall, letting it join a series of other, random drawers that had been ripped out of the wall.

"Nothing here," the large man said, turning to Seeker, who was examining a different part of the wall. He'd been looking at a strange section of the wall for a while now - in front of him, there was one red drawer, sticking out like a sore thumb in the wall full of gray. Two drawers to the right and one drawer down, a green drawer sat, and nearly a dozen drawers to the left of the red drawer, next to the floor, sat a blue drawer. It was obviously some kind of puzzle, and Seeker had a good idea that at least one of the objects they were looking for was inside, but he hadn't been able to figure it out...or get one of them open, even.

"Lancer, gimme a hand here, would you?" he said, stepping aside as the larger man walked over and placed one hand on the red drawer. With a mighty pull, the red drawer snapped open...and Seeker yelped in pain as the green drawer also opened, forcefully slamming into his side before closing again. Lancer's momentary distraction at the sound caused his hand to slip on the red drawer, letting it slam shut again also, and Seeker bit back a curse.

"Hyne-damned Odine and his psychotic puzzles," he growled, rubbing his now-sore right side as Lancer chuckled quietly. Reaching down, Seeker grabbed onto the handle on the green drawer and snatched it open with a heave...causing the red drawer to open and smash into Lancer's jaw, cutting him off in mid-chuckle and dazing him from the force of the blow.

"What _are_ you two doing over there?" Mystique asked, trying and failing to suppress the smile on her face. "Tearing down the wall?"

"...That can be arranged," Seeker retorted, his hands starting to glow purple as he called up Gravity-based magic. He gestured forcefully towards the wall lined with drawers, and the purple haze around his hands began to encompass the entire collection, carefully crushing the internal locking pieces on each of the drawers and causing some of them to slide open - including the oddly-colored drawers, their unique method of "trap" now disabled and turned to nothing more than scrap metal. "Lancer, check that blue drawer," he said, more than a little annoyed as he ripped the red drawer completely out of the wall. A moment later, Frosty had to duck as the red drawer sailed over her head, crashing into the floor opposite the table and causing her to turn around and glare at Seeker, shaking her fist angrily.

"What's the big idea?"

Mystique sighed as the white-haired man and the dark-haired woman began arguing. "Can we focus, please? We've got a mission, in case you've forgotten," she stated, managing to remain calm as she rummaged through the table Frosty was standing at, fishing out a device that looked like a metallic bracelet with small, clear gems inlaid around the band. Lancer, who had been searching the blue drawer, tossed a flat piece of metal from the inside before retrieving a small silver case, about the size that might hold a wristwatch.

"Is this it?" he said to Mystique, holding the case up for her to see. Immediately, her mood brightened, a grin reappearing on her face as she nodded.

"That's it - now, only one more thing to find..."

The doors to the laboratory were suddenly smashed inward as Mystique turned back to the table, a rifle held by a young woman in white and blue armor the first thing that the Estharian woman saw as she turned to see the source of the disturbance. Following the woman closely came five more figures - figures that, she noted, were all wearing the distinctive uniforms of Trabian SeeD officials.

"What's all the -" Seeker began, turning to see what the fuss was about and stopping short upon seeing the group of SeeD and Presidential Guard member. "Oh. Company."

"Hands where I can see them - all of you," Eve ordered, sweeping her rifle slowly between each of the four Royal Thieves' Guild members in the room. None made any overt moves past looking at the soldier, and her eyes narrowed threateningly. "Put your hands up, _now._"

"Of course, of course," Mystique replied, her hands slowly raising over her head as well as those of her comrades. "It would be a shame to have any unfortunate...accidents."

Eve reacted just a bit too slow as Mystique finished speaking, only then noticing that three of the four held some kind of small gemstones in their hands. Seeker's hands glowed purple again, and Eve's rifle clattered to the floor, the sudden gravitational force rendering the weapon too heavy for her to hold any longer. A burst of water erupted from Mystique's hand, now glowing blue, as the weapon touched the floor, sending the six military officials scattering to avoid it even as the floor seemed to take on a life of its own, rising up and forming a new wall behind the group to seal the exit as Lancer's hands shimmered green.

"Silvia, give us some fire support! Benji, take out the heavy! Naoki, Sumiko, pick a target, stick with 'em! I'll handle the leader! Move it!"

Andréa wasted no time in doling out orders to her squad, each of the SeeD members drawing various weapons and splitting off to engage their assigned targets without a second thought even as Eve began to call for backup.

_(Play: Step (Andréa's Theme) - Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

"Looks like you're back for another try!" Seeker said, grinning as Naoki moved to engage him, already forming seals for one of his techniques. "Hope you do better than last time!"

Naoki's only response came in the form of a group of watery spikes that appeared around Seeker, falling down to impale him from multiple directions. Each spike simply splattered harmlessly against the magical barrier that sprang up around Seeker, causing the Time Alchemist to chuckle.

"Still using magic against a mage, huh?"

In one fluid motion, the Symbologist unsheathed the katana at his side and swept through the space Seeker was occupying, the magical barrier doing nothing to prevent the solid object from passing through. Seeker winced as a very thin cut appeared on the black and gold-trimmed shirt he was wearing, faint bits of blood lightly staining the fabric - the boy had not moved that fast the first time they'd fought.

"You're making invalid assumptions. I would be careful of that," Naoki commented, watching with a satisfied expression as Seeker's form blurred then vanished, reappearing a few feet away.

"Maybe this _will_ be fun!" Seeker replied, his smile still unwavering on his face as he started to draw on magic of his own. A second later, small clouds of purple energy swirled around Naoki for a brief moment before vanishing, seemingly having no effect but giving Naoki pause just for that reason. The instant of hesitation was all that Seeker needed to get off another spell, this time rapidly drawing an arcane symbol in the air with his index finger. The symbol vanished as soon as it was drawn, and a barrage of thin, sharpened needles of ice lanced towards Naoki at high speed. The Symbologist's eyes widened as he saw the needles, quickly throwing his sword and right arm up to guard as the needles stabbed into his body.

"Come on! You'll never get anywhere like that!" Seeker taunted. "Show me what you can do!"

Anger flashed through Naoki's eyes for a moment, the orbs turning red as Naoki drew on the power of his Sharingan, and he leapt back into battle with haste, intent on doing just as Seeker had asked.

* * *

A blistering bolt of fire tore through the space Sumiko had just occupied, the Illusionist now up in the air and falling rapidly towards the Flame Alchemist in front of her. Her rapier stabbed out, aiming to pierce Frosty's skull, but the woman stepped aside and grabbed Sumiko's arm, whipping her around sharply and letting her go before snatching another gemstone from a pouch at her waist. It seemed to dissolve in her hand, and a wave of flames burst out of her hand as she gestured towards Sumiko. Nimbly, she leapt aside, rolling slightly before springing to her feet and leaping towards Frosty again, this time lunging out into a stab. Frosty's arm snapped up and knocked Sumiko's arm away, the stab missing her left shoulder, and she tried to kick Sumiko away only to have the girl leap back, out of melee range just as quickly as she'd entered.

Growling, Frosty took two more gemstones from her pouch, those also dissolving as she thrust a palm towards the ground. A trail of fire leapt from her hand and snaked along the ground, growing larger and wider as it approached, leaving Sumiko no time or room to dodge the attack. Instead, she dropped her rapier, hands moving into a quick pair of hand seals as she gathered energy around herself. A swirling wall of water formed around her, causing a large burst of steam as Frosty's trail of fire impacted the cold liquid that almost instantly covered the portion of the room they were fighting in. Quickly, Sumiko knelt back to the ground and snatched up her rapier, casting an Aero spell to disperse some of the vision-impairing steam as she stood back up.

"Fire's all you have, it seems," Sumiko said to herself, contemplating just how best to disable the woman in front of her. Melee combat seemed to be the best option, she noted - she didn't look like someone who enjoyed close combat, and she wouldn't be able to cast her spells easily in melee either. Even as Frosty began to cast another spell, Sumiko held back, watching and waiting for an opportune moment to strike and gain the upper hand.

* * *

Near the left wall, Lancer was defending himself from a swift series of blows from Ben, the Blade Knight's dual katanas out and slashing away at the much larger man. A sweeping strike was turned aside by Lancer's long spear, followed closely by a stab with his left blade that was dodged. The spear came across in retaliation, Lancer's strike carving down towards Ben's chest, but he rolled under the attack and came up behind Lancer, spinning and slicing in the same motion to open a cut across the lower part of Lancer's back. Lancer spun, grunting in pain but not seeming at all impaired by the injury as he sliced out once more. This strike was turned away by both of Ben's swords in a clumsy block, the smaller boy still a bit off-balance from his maneuver, but he countered quickly with another swipe from his left blade that rang as it impacted the metal spear.

'_I've got the speed advantage,' _Ben thought to himself, hopping back to put some space between himself and the brutish fighter while he planned his next attack. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naoki go tumbling away after some kind of attack from his opponent, even as he felt the familiar sensation of Haste magic ripple across his body, enhancing his movements. He glanced over, noticing Silvia moving away in Andréa's direction, and grinned as he started to resume his attack. Before he could, he noticed something...not quite right about the area they were standing in. Faintly, he could see a purple shimmer around a fair-sized portion of the room, centered on where they were standing, and he wondered momentarily where it was coming from.

The sudden reappearance of Lancer in his line of sight shocked Ben's thoughts back to reality right before a meaty fist filled his vision, sending him flying into the shelves behind him hard enough to dent the metal. Lancer chuckled as Ben stumbled away from the wall, disoriented from the powerful punch, right before his muscles jolted and pain ripped through his body, courtesy of electrical magic from Silvia.

"Move!" she yelled to Ben, who did just that - noticing with disdain that despite having Haste cast on him, he felt more like he was under the influence of Slow magic. Silvia seemed to notice it too, first taking note of the SeeD's slow movement and then seeing the faint purple tinge in the air. There had to be a connection, she reasoned...and she was taking a chance in what she was about to do, but it was a calculated risk. Energy shimmered around her hands as she called up a Time Magic spell, the energy of Slow playing over Ben's body and causing him to look up with surprise, wondering exactly what Silvia was trying to do.

Then he realized just what she had been thinking, and mentally kicked himself for not seeing the same as his movements sped up again. Whatever barrier was surrounding them, it was reversing the normal physics of speed - slower objects moved faster, and vice versa. With a grin once again on his face, he nodded briefly in thanks to Silvia before leaping back into the melee, confident again that he had the situation in hand.

* * *

Andréa was, dare the thought cross her mind, actually enjoying herself. Three images of Mystique were positioned in front of her, courtesy of a Blink spell that the Water Alchemist had cast upon herself, but she didn't seem worried in the least by the disorienting tactic. One of them vanished a moment later, flinching and then dissolving into mist as a burst of fire from Eve's assault rifle tore it apart. Another met a timely end by the blade of the young woman's scythe, the thin, curved edge cutting the image in half without so much as a second thought.

"Dear me, it looks as if I may be in over my head!" Mystique said, feigning a look of horror as her other image dispersed. Her right hand rose as she spoke, holding a small wooden wand, and one of the jewels on a bracelet around her right wrist glowed before vanishing, the released energy moving fluidly into her wand and causing it to glow a bright blue. "I guess I'll have to go out with a splash!"

A wall of water seemed to spring into existence before her, absorbing another series of bullets into its form as it roared towards Andréa with all its crushing force. Without hesitation, Andréa leapt forward, raising her scythe up as she moved towards the wave of water, then cleaved it in half with one smooth strike before landing and thrusting the end of the pole towards Mystique's chest. The Water Alchemist reacted quickly enough to parry the thrust, directing it off to the side with one hand, and she gestured again with the wand as another jewel dematerialized, this time summoning a pressurized burst of water that smashed into Andréa's scythe and body, nearly knocking the wind out of her and throwing her to the ground as well.

'_I'm not sure which is worse,'_ the SeeD thought to herself, steadying herself again as Eve reloaded her rifle, _'her Alchemy or her mouth.'_ Two more gems on Mystique's bracelet vanished as Andréa watched, their energy swirling around Mystique this time and erecting magical barriers of Shell and Protect around her body.

This time, Andréa smirked.

"You're quite the performer, you know, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve too," she mentioned, her tone as casual as if she were simply discussing the weather with the woman in front of her. "You're not the only one who can wash away another's good mood."

It happened so quickly, Mystique wasn't sure what happened until she felt the pain. Andréa and her scythe moved as one, lunging out at Mystique as she charged the blade with energy. The curved weapon swept upward, and the magical barriers around Mystique seemed to peel away, their energy violently dispersed and causing even more harm than the blade's slice did on its own. Mystique gagged as she hit the ground, the front of her outfit now sporting a long, bloody cut down the center, and Andréa found herself defending against a ball of fire from Frosty, the counter to their leader's peril almost immediate.

Holding one hand over her wound, Mystique looked around at the rest of her comrades. Lancer was faring worse than she'd imagined - his opponent was simply too fast for him to catch, and the female mage that was helping him was tipping the odds gradually more and more against the bigger man. Seeker was faring better, keeping his distance from the dark-haired boy he was dealing with and interrupting or misdirecting his spells. Frosty, however, looked like the tide was turning quickly against her, and she realized that it was a matter of time before the already unfavorable battle shifted even more so.

"...Frosty! Seeker!" she yelled, the tone of her voice letting the pair know exactly what she was asking for without words. From afar, Seeker's form vanished, reappearing beside her and helping her stand up. Frosty looked more annoyed at the order, but grudgingly cast a wall of fire in front of her that separated Sumiko from both her and Mystique before beginning to rejoin the Water Alchemist, muttering something unintelligible to Seeker as she did. Andréa made to attack once again, but another wall of fire cut her off from the three Alchemists, forcing her to keep her distance. The ground suddenly shook violently under everyone's feet as Lancer channeled his Alchemy into the floor, ripping the tile and dirt up under Ben and Silvia's feet and throwing them to the floor, giving him enough of an opportunity to regroup with the rest of his team. A third wall of fire completed the triangular shape around them as Lancer approached, completely sealing the four off from any sort of attacks, and the air rippled as Seeker began to cast a spell, a portal of energy slowly fading into existence beside him.

"I must thank you all for the fun, but you know what they say - business _always _comes before pleasure," Mystique said over the crackling of the flames as the other members of her team began to step through the portal. "I look forward to seeing you all again!"

The sound of her voice faded as her form did, vanishing through the portal just before it closed with a minute flash of purple energy, and the flames around it subsided similarly, leaving the SeeD members and Eve alone in the mostly-destroyed laboratory.

_(End: Step (Andréa's Theme) - Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

"That was...different," Silvia said to herself as she brushed herself off, both annoyed at all the trouble that had been caused and at the fact that their quarry had just escaped right from under their feet. "I don't suppose anything _else _could go wrong..." she finished sarcastically, shaking her head.

The world became noise and light for the group within the laboratory then, the wall with the damaged shelves collapsing as the adjacent room exploded with a thunderous roar and spray of debris, and Silvia suddenly regretted tempting fate as she had.

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Hokkaido Museum, Royal Thieves' Guild | 5:21 PM]

* * *

"Was that quite necessary?" Mystique asked Frosty with a pointed look, beginning to heal the long gash on her chest with her Alchemy. The Fire Alchemist across from her snorted, looking peeved with their 'leader.'

"I was having a good time," she huffed, earning a nearly collective sigh from the other three within the room. Frosty's temper and attitude were well-known; that didn't make it any easier to deal with on occasion. Their moment of relative silence was quickly interrupted by the sudden appearance of two figures within the room, one of whom was carrying a small briefcase with them.

"It looks as though you succeeded," Destine said to Mystique, a cordial smile in place across her face. Mystique, despite her injury, smirked.

"Was there ever any doubt? You did hire the best thieves in this region, after all."

"Of course. As I promised, your reward."

Destine stepped over to the table in the room, placing the briefcase on top and opening it up to display the stacks of Gil within to the group. Seeker moved over to the table, examining the contents for a few seconds before turning to Mystique, satisfied.

"It's all here, boss."

Mystique nodded, then took out the bracelet and small box that had been taken from the palace's laboratory, handing them over to Destine. The Pillar of Destiny took the items graciously, examining them with the care of a wizened mage, before nodding to Mystique.

"Your help is appreciated. I do hope you'll excuse our rapid departure - we've much work to do, you see."

"Of course, of course. People of your stature are always occupied, I'd imagine," Mystique remarked. From beside Destine, Manes rolled his eyes - he saw little reason for the niceties that Destine was engaging in, but saw just as little point in stating it openly.

"Places to go, artifacts to craft...it's a busy life," Destine said, sighing and turning to leave. "Sacrifices must be made for the sake of the trade, though. An inevitability, to be sure."

As quickly as they had appeared, they were gone, leaving the four members of the Royal Thieves' Guild in relative silence once again.

* * *

FFTA, sadly, wasn't the only delay - writer's block struck again, and I could not seem to bring myself to write the fight scene by any means. Expect a bit more action next chapter too, as things get rolling again. As always, please read and review.


	44. I, III, XI: Machinations

Well, once more do I return to this story after taking a hiatus to work on _Chronicles of the Chosen _some. We're starting to move into the last vestiges of Destine's arc now, with only a few chapters remaining.

Begin!  
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* * *

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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter XI—Machinations

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[Nether Plane, Chateau du Suzerain, Main Concourse]

* * *

Aizen Sosuke, like all other planar leaders within the realm, chose his Planeswalkers with a plan in mind, a greater design for their presence. Sometimes, it was a simple plan, something that most outside viewers would easily discern by looking at those involved and the circumstances. Aizen knew well that complex plans weren't always needed, despite the entertainment and pride that they often provided, and he was truly a master at using limited resources to their fullest potential, especially those of his Planeswalkers. Other times...

Well, other times, there were people like Dmitri Yuriev.

Most people that saw the suit-clad Planeswalker wondered just what possible reason Aizen could have had to choose such an individual. From his short, blond hair and blue eyes to the deceptively-devious smile he kept on his face nearly all the time, everything about his appearance screamed "betrayer" or "deceiver." He seemed a scientist at heart, most claimed, though it was later amended that "mad scientist" may have been more fitting after getting to know him. He held an odd fascination with magical trinkets, often spending weeks simply tinkering with his latest experiment and examining new ways to combine magical effects and artifacts.

To his credit, he was skilled at what he did; the Daiesthai within Aizen's forces, and even his Espada, had become leagues more potent because of research that Yuriev had conducted after his induction.

His most infuriating quirk, however, had to be his manner of speech. On the outside, it seemed polite and friendly enough, until one looked underneath the honeyed words and realized the mocking tones and scathing double-meanings that lay beneath the amiable facade. Yet, even with all of this in mind, Aizen Sosuke had come to one conclusion over the years that Yuriev had remained in his employ.

He'd made a fine choice.

"Rubedo. So good to see you again," Yuriev remarked, looking up towards the stairs of the main hall as another figure began to descend them. "Before you go off to see your..._benefactor_, a moment of your time? Just a little favor, since you're headed to the mortal plane."

The figure coming down the stairs stopped for a moment, sighing deeply as his amber eyes noticed Yuriev's grinning face watching his advance. His spiky brown hair bobbed slightly as he started walking again, only stopping once he was past Yuriev - that way, he reasoned, he didn't have to look at him when he spoke.

"What do you want, Yuriev?" Rubedo asked, feeling the faint vestiges of a headache already approaching just from mentioning the Planeswalker's name.

Rubedo Alaberti was a most unusual case when Aizen Sosuke first came across him. Katanas DeValle had brought the kid to Aizen's figurative doorstep, half-dead, and petitioned him to make the teen a Planeswalker - he had potential, Katanas had said, and wanted Aizen to give him the chance to prove it. Aizen, though somewhat less than pleased at Katanas' presumptuousness, had decided to make use of the opportunity, reasoning that if it happened that he wasn't capable of the station, he'd just get rid of him.

As luck would have it, he was wrong; after Rubedo healed and grew into his role as a Planeswalker, he began to perform his duties with acceptable skill, often finding opportunities in unusual places that his peers missed. He was no Yuriev, Aizen knew, but he served his purpose loyally, and that was enough to satisfy the Overlord.

"Merely to ask for your assistance while you're in the mortal plane, of course," Yuriev remarked. "I've heard rumors of happenings in the mortal realm of late, and I thought it would be...beneficial if someone might gather more information on the subject."

Rubedo's eyes narrowed, though Yuriev couldn't see, and he absently began straightening one sleeve of his white dress shirt. "You want me to listen to gossip while I'm on the mortal plane," he retorted in a deadpan tone, finally glancing over his shoulder at his fellow Planeswalker.

"Certainly not!" Yuriev said, seemingly appalled that Rubedo would dare make such a suggestion. "I merely want you to keep an eye out for any interesting events while you're there - especially of the magical sort."

"Haven't you got enough toys to play with?"

"One can never have enough research material, and I've heard that some artifacts have been changing hands recently on the mortal plane...if you happened to come across any of them, it could be a great boon to my work," Yuriev said, making Rubedo wonder not for the first time how Aizen managed to tolerate someone like him.

"...I'll think on it," Rubedo muttered, willing to accept the request if it meant that Yuriev would leave him alone. "Don't you have work of your own to do?"

"Indeed I do," Yuriev said happily, chuckling softly to himself as he turned to leave. "I do hope you find something interesting down there for me, Rubedo."

Then he was gone, the faint wisps of energy following the opening and closing of a gate to the Crystal Path all that remained in the air as he departed. Rubedo resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief; speaking with Yuriev for any prolonged period of time always managed to get under his skin, despite his best efforts to the contrary.

"Freak," he muttered to himself, even as a similar gate to the Path opened before him, allowing him to step onto it and begin his journey to the mortal plane.

* * *

[Soul Society, Lord Sovereign's Palace, Throne Room]

* * *

Among the three planes that existed outside of the mortal plane and its influence, Soul Society was...unique, in a sense. Having ties to the mortal plane, Ethereal Plane, and Nether Plane all at the same time put it in a position that no other plane within the realm could claim. The reason boiled down to a simple fact - Soul Society was the afterlife, or what could be considered such, of the realm itself.

Soul Society was also a plane unto itself; it had its own leader, its own military forces, its own denizens, and more. Soul Society merely also had a unique task to consider in its operation. When beings died, their souls would return to Soul Society – mortal or otherwise, it mattered not their point of origin. There, they would live out a second 'life' of sorts, often living for hundreds of years before 'dying' once again in Soul Society and being reborn in another plane without memories of their previous life or lives. As it held the task of maintaining the balance between death and rebirth, even the millennia that had passed had done nothing to hinder its neutrality.

Byakuya Kuchiki, the current Lord Sovereign of Soul Society, would not have had it any other way.

The twenty-eighth head of Soul Society, Byakuya made a strong leader for Soul Society from the moment of his induction. Everything about his youthful appearance seemed to exude authority, from the dark-colored kimono, white sash, and beautiful silk scarf that he wore to his dark hair, stern face, and piercing blue eyes. He knew the tasks that would be arrayed before him as he prepared to take his position as Soul Society's leader, and he carried them out unflinchingly, using the same serene disposition that he held as a member of the nobility to gain respect and loyalty from those under his station.

This would later come to include championed Planeswalkers over time, as those of the previous Lord Sovereign passed on and Byakuya began to choose his own emissaries. Above all, he valued intelligence and interdependence in his chosen, trusting those in his employ to put individual needs aside for the good of the whole. In some of his chosen, he'd succeeded greatly - Andréa Beoulve had proven to be a fine choice for the tasks of the plane that he assigned her.

The person standing in front of him now, however...he found that he couldn't deny his skill and loyalty as a Planeswalker, but often were the times that he wondered if he understood the meaning of "putting the needs of the many before those of the few."

"Mister DeValle. Yours is not a face I expected to see anytime soon," Byakuya said calmly, looking over into the grinning face of Darius DeValle.

"Well, you know how I rarely ever drop by unless it's an emergency and all," Darius replied nonchalantly. Most Planeswalkers would be more formal with someone like the Lord Sovereign, but Byakuya had - somehow - grown to deal with his Planeswalker's rather colorful personality.

"Indeed," he remarked, his face never wavering from its emotionless expression. "You test my patience."

Darius nodded lightly; despite his personality, he did know when the Lord Sovereign was unwilling to deal with his quirks. "Ah, right to the point. Well, then, in that case...I need your help finding someone," he asked, moving into a serious tone for the time being. "I thought that you'd be the best person to ask, given the...implications."

Byakuya said nothing in the face of Darius' question, but his gaze didn't move from the Planeswalker in front of him as Darius continued speaking.

"You see, after doing some research into that Great Ethereal War - for reasons that you'll find may, or may not, come into play given the current circumstances - I came across a few names that sounded important. It seems that a few high-profile former members of some elitist organization called the Gilead Order managed to survive all that chaos. They came here."

The slightly-accusatory tone in Darius' voice as he said the last words both set Byakuya faintly on edge and made him wonder exactly what his chosen was getting at. Silence reigned in the room for several long, tense seconds before Byakuya finally decided to speak again.

"And what if they did?" His voice betrayed nothing, as firm and solemn as ever, but Darius was undeterred.

"Then my request should be easy," he said to the Lord Sovereign, his ever-familiar smirk returning. "I want to meet them - specifically, the former head of the Ethereal Archaeology and Magical Maintenance Division, Etchel...something or other; I couldn't quite make out the last name."

Again, silence took over the room as Byakuya seemed to appraise Darius, idly and silently wondering how he'd managed to come across such knowledge as well as what he might want with such a meeting. It was true that a few members of the former Order of Grim Angels within the Ethereal Plane's Gilead Order had managed to survive the war, eventually finding their way to Soul Society and reinstating a new instance of the prestigious order within the plane. Try as he might, however, he couldn't see a reason as to why Darius would wish to meet with a former Grim Angel captain, nor could he honestly see any reason to disallow it, given his station and record.

"You've been busy," Byakuya finally stated, letting a faint trace of admiration creep into his voice for an instant.

"I learned from the best - namely, my brother," Darius admitted, shrugging - which was, as much as he'd like to take the credit for his investigative skill himself, the truth. "So, what can I interest you in today?" he continued, ready to offer up his part of the bargain. Equivalent Exchange didn't just apply to Alchemy, he knew; it was always best for business if you were prepared with the appropriate payments well in advance. "There's some real juicy happenings on the mortal plane, and it looks like both the Ethereal and Nether Plane have agents in position to capitalize on...something. Rumor is that someone suspiciously described as 'appearing to be the Pillar of Destiny' is wreaking havoc down there. Don't know what to make of that."

The barest hint of a smile flitted across the Lord Sovereign's face, there and gone too quickly for even Darius to notice. "Very well. I'll arrange a meeting. It seems, for a change, that your gossiping serves a purpose."

For a moment, Darius looked offended at Byakuya's words, but he chose to say nothing in response - for once electing to keep his mouth shut and stifle the retort which would surely have followed. He settled instead for rolling his eyes, displaying his annoyance at the comment but on the inside feeling satisfied that he'd gotten what he came for.

"Then we have an agreement, Lord Sovereign."

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Galbadia, Deep Sea Research Center, Main Laboratory | 5:13 PM]

* * *

"This place is a wreck."

Manes' voice echoed around the vast, empty room as he walked, kicking away pieces of debris while he examined his ruined surroundings. Also known as "Battleship Island," the building was actually a man-made, mobile island and research center, similar to the Garden structures created by Centra. When it was created, it was supposedly designed to be used as a mobile laboratory for the study of marine life and biology around the world.

In reality, it served as the location where researchers from around the world, many of whom were funded by Balamb Garden and Esthar in particular, were attempting to research and study the foundations of paramagic. The world itself, they had long known, contained fountains of magical energy in places where the concentration was strong enough to force it to the planet's surface. Many had been found in Centra, particularly, before the time of the Lunar Cry, but the scientists there weren't as interested in the smaller occurrences around the globe.

They theorized that the planet contained at least one extremely large and powerful deposit of magic, but all efforts to discern a potential location for the theoretical fountain had returned nothing...at least, nothing on land. Unsatisfied with the prospect of failure, the "Deep Sea Research Center," as it became colloquially known, was developed to scour the ocean floors for any signs of magical essence. Around six years ago, however, the project mysteriously shut down, with most all of the researchers leaving the island and declaring the project either a failure or inconclusive. Many wondered why it was so abruptly terminated, but few outside of government officials openly questioned the decision; those officials who did were almost invariably met with responses of "it was becoming financially unsound to continue" or the like.

Now, the island had become little more than a man-made coral reef stationed in the middle of nowhere, a forgotten relic from years of science past. Technically, it was still in Galbadian waters because of some international agreements, but the Galbadian government had long since given up caring about the now-immobile construct.

"The condition of this place doesn't matter, you know," Destine stated, giving Manes a look of annoyance. "All that matters is that you stay out of the way of prying eyes."

"Then why don't you just kill the ones who might pry?" Manes shot back, equally annoyed. He hated being ordered around, and following Destine like nothing more than a menial servant was beginning to bother him more than he could ever remember being displeased.

"Which is more satisfactory, my dear Daiesthai? Merely killing someone, or watching as they realize that there's absolutely nothing they can do to stop you before you do so?" The sweet smile on Destine's face made Manes sick; not for the first time, he wondered if the Pillar of Destiny was completely and utterly insane.

"Killing them means that no one can interfere. It's more practical, and just as satisfying," Manes remarked, almost scoffing at Destine's logic. Destine didn't bother gracing Manes with a response, which served only to further annoy the demon. Debris crunched under his feet as he walked around, examining the room and its contents with much disdain. "What do you want me to do here, anyway?"

"I want you to craft me an artifact," Destine replied casually, a statement which immediately caused Manes to turn back with a look of mild surprise.

"What, exactly, makes you think me capable of such a feat?" His voice was low, but it held a menacing undertone to it that had replaced the typical sarcasm and sneering tone he usually carried. Destine's response, for once, lacked any of the jeering and taunting that normally laced her own speech.

"How much of a fool do you take me for? I was aware of your capabilities long before I even bothered visiting you in the Void. I know just what you were doing in the Ethereal Plane that caused you to get attacked by the Grim Angels. If anyone is the fool here, it's you, for thinking that someone like yourself could possibly steal from the Palace of Creation, with or without help."

Manes' eyes narrowed - for once, he felt like he might have underestimated the Pillar's intelligence. If she knew as much as she claimed, he thought to himself, there really was no point in hiding anything now.

"Fine," he growled, folding his arms. "What do you want this..._artifact _to do?"

"Now we're getting somewhere!" she exclaimed, almost instantly back to her mockingly cheerful attitude. "It's simple, really. I want this artifact to be a reservoir of energy, the more the better. Something that can hold an adequate amount of power even from someone like myself, essentially."

Manes frowned. "Surely, that's not all of it?" he countered - there was little point in Destine making such an artifact without a reason, as holding power was something that she could do herself without trouble.

"That's where the fun begins," she continued, smiling. "When this artifact's power is released...I want it to sever the connection between beings and their magical energy in a small area for as long as the energy within can sustain the effect. Obviously, the more energy you can make this artifact hold, the better."

"You want a localized anti-magic field? Can't you do that yourself?" he shot back, suddenly feeling once again like the Pillar was wasting his time.

"Not anti-magic. You misunderstand. I don't want it to _negate _magic, I want it to sever the bonds_ to _magic," she clarified, still smiling. "Negating the magic doesn't negate the benefits that having magic might bring to an individual. This way, however, does just that - neither mortal nor Ethereal beings alike will be able to counter this kind of effect, at least not without great amounts of preparation."

The frown on Manes' face slowly became a smile, which soon turned into full-blown laughter as he realized what the Pillar's plans were - or, at least, what he thought they were. "You're pretty damn brazen, you know that? I didn't think you'd have the guts to try and pull something like this over on the Creator, but then you go and prove me wrong!"

"All in good time," Destine replied calmly, nodding. "Now, I believe you should get started, as we've wasted enough time." As she stepped towards Manes, she held one hand out, causing the small box and bracelet that she'd acquired from the Royal Thieves Guild to materialize atop her palm. "These should provide you with enough of a basis, I believe."

Manes took the pair of items, first looking at the bracelet carefully. It appeared to be some kind of magic-suppressing trinket, more of a novelty than anything in his opinion. Likely what he'd been given to serve as the base item for the creation, he thought as he opened the box. It exuded a faint glow, hinting to the raw energy surging from the red gem held within, and he looked back up at Destine, wondering exactly what he'd been given.

"That, my dear Daiesthai, is what the mortals refer to as a Philosopher's Stone," Destine said with pride, obviously relishing in the surprised expression now adorning Manes' face.

Few things in the mortal plane were as legendary in the study of magic as the Philosopher's Stone - it was the holy grail of Alchemy in particular, the artifact that every alchemist aspired to see, touch, or create from the moment they began their craft. It was said that Alchemy's major restraint, Equivalent Exchange, could be bypassed by using the Stone in addition to the large boost that it gave the wielder's magical ability.

It was really a misnomer - the cost for the transmutation had already already paid because of how the Stone was created. It took the sacrifice of souls, be they Hume, Erudite, even Ancients themselves, to create a Philosopher's Stone, and the souls contained within the Stone became the material used in the transmutation. Only a scant few people actually knew how a Stone was created, even fewer knowing the correct method to create one.

Manes knew vaguely what he was looking at; stories of similar artifacts had floated around the Nether Plane for centuries, yet he cursed his luck for finding one now. If he so much as thought about taking its power for his own, he knew that Destine would destroy him without a second thought. Idly, he cursed his luck even as he nodded towards Destine, forcefully biting back the scowl that threatened to escape.

"Very well. I'll go ahead and begin," he muttered, taking both bracelet and Stone with him as he moved towards one of the least-damaged tables in the room. Destine smiled as she watched him walk away; he knew that she had the upper hand, and if nothing else, the difference in power between them would keep him loyal. Self-preservation was a powerful instinct, after all, even to Daiesthai. Satisfied that he would do as she had asked of him, Destine vanished in a swirling haze of magical energy, eager to check on the state of affairs she'd begun in the mortal plane while she waited.

_

* * *

_

_Two Hours Later..._

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_

A console in the room exploded as a ball of dark energy impacted it, sending bits of metal and wires into the air and showering the ground with mechanical pieces. Manes growled in annoyance as he watched, his gaze once more sweeping around the room. He had finished creating the artifact that she'd asked for, and Destine wasn't back yet. Normally, he would've just gone and found her himself, but the Pillar was infuriatingly cloaking her own energy, making attempts to locate her impossible for the Daiesthai.

Instead, he'd turned his energy and idle anger into destroying what little remained intact within the research center's open laboratory, reducing consoles to little more than shattered metal and furnishings in the room to little more than shavings of wood, metal, and plastic.

The vague presence of magic in the air alerted him to another's entry into the room, and his eyes settled on the area, expecting to see Destine...but instead finding a young man with spiky brown hair, a white dress shirt, and brown khakis with a black leather belt standing in the room with a curious expression.

"Well, would you look at that," Rubedo mused, eyes focused on Manes and face holding an expression of mild surprise. "Of all the things I thought I would find, I did not expect an Arrancar so far from the Nether Plane." Manes gave no verbal response at all, but a smile full of malice began to creep across his features as he watched Rubedo.

_(Play: Albedo (Manes' Theme) - Yasunori Mitsuda, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Metro Voices; Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht)_

"It seems this won't be such a wasted endeavor after all," Manes said, his smile widening with each passing second as the expression on his face became more vicious. "At least there's something here I can _kill_."

Rubedo didn't flinch at Manes' threat, merely continuing to watch the demon in front of him with a curiously.

"Are all Arrancar this arrogant?" he asked benignly, finding himself rewarded by the sight of Manes' body tensing in anger despite the sadistic smile on his face.

"Arrogance? This is _fact_," Manes shot back, his temper rising even more at Rubedo's verbal jab. "You got some kind of death wish, kid?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Rubedo replied casually, shrugging lightly as he spoke. "Just business to take care of."

"Business, huh?" Manes spat, clenching his fists. "Only business here is that which you should've minded." The demon chuckled, magical energy already beginning to crackle around his hands as he sneered at Rubedo. "Course, I guess you've got guts...at least, until I'm done ripping them out of you!"

_(End: Albedo (Manes' Theme) - Yasunori Mitsuda, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Metro Voices; Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht; Play: Pluto (Manes' Battle Theme) - Black∞Hole, Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 2)_

The energy in Manes' hand burst, pulsing slightly, causing energy to encircle Rubedo and form a glyph of blue, vaguely-triangular shapes around his shoulders even as he moved, lashing out with a punch towards Manes' face that the Daiesthai leaned fluidly around. His leg came up a second later, burying a knee into Rubedo's gut that doubled him slightly before another burst of dark energy similar to the one he'd used earlier threw Rubedo away. The energy seared Rubedo's upper body, but he reacted quickly by twisting in the air, getting his feet under him as he landed and sized Manes' form up again.

"I should introduce myself, since it's only polite that victims know the name of their killer," the Daiesthai jeered. "My name is Manes...Arrancar _catorce_."

Outwardly, Rubedo seemed unaffected by Manes' proclamation, but inwardly he was glad for the information. He had little indication of how powerful the Arrancar might be, but at least now he could make a rough estimate based on what he'd just stated, and thus the appropriate adjustments.

He was forced to set aside his thoughts as a searing ball of fire tore through the air towards him, scorching and warping metal behind him as he ducked underneath the Fire spell. Hoping to seize the opportunity to strike while Manes was recovering from the casting, Rubedo shot forward into a lunge, slashing out at Manes with a furious chop that forced the Daiesthai to guard himself. The force of the blow nearly shoved Manes backwards, but he held his ground and threw Rubedo's hand away, lashing out with a punch of his own that Rubedo deftly turned away. A kick from Rubedo flashed through the space between them as he stepped back, and a sound resembling a brief burst of static filled the air around both fighters as Manes' form seemed to vanish, reappearing several feet away from Rubedo an instant later.

"Mortals," Manes said, smirking at Rubedo as he straightened again. "Always thinking that you're the best, the brightest, the most worthy. You haven't even begun to scratch the surface of true power yet." In a flash, another ring of arcane energy had beset Rubedo's form, this one a deep black in color and possessing a design resembling faint, star-like glyphs. Almost instantly, the blue shapes around Rubedo glowed brightly and energy lashed out at Rubedo from the glyph, burning his body with magical energy and causing him to flinch from the sudden pain. Still, Rubedo didn't move, batting aside the pain with rigid self-control and making a note of the apparent effect of the spell.

Energy began to swirl around Rubedo's hands in response, enhancing his own strikes with Holy-element power, and he dropped back into a defensive stance as he prepared to test Manes' defenses again. Once again, the glyph around him flared brightly, sending another biting flash of magical energy into his body before the ring faded away completely. It seemed like that glyph had activated when he cast his own enchantment spell – he'd have to be careful about what abilities he used. Luckily, it looked as if the glyph's effect only lasted a short time, so that was at least a plus.

"Show me, then," he replied, his calm manner of speaking continuing to infuriate the Arrancar across from him. The only response that he received from Manes was the sight of his form vanishing again, the faint flicker of magic as the Daiesthai charged another spell the only warning Rubedo got that the demon was now above him before the air became filled with orbs of Dark energy, falling towards him like meteorites. Rubedo reacted much more quickly than Manes gave him credit for this time, however, and his form phased out of the plane entirely for an instant as he drew upon his Planeswalker abilities, reappearing right in front of Manes and startling him enough for Rubedo to land a solid strike across the smirking demon's face.

Two things happened then.

Manes, under the grip of inertia and gravity, flew back towards the ground, slamming into the tiled floor underneath him with tremendous force and sending materials atop tables shaking from the impact.

Rubedo, still in the air, gasped in pain momentarily as the dark-colored glyph around his form suddenly reacted, jolting his body with dark energy and causing his eyes to fog over as the magical blindness took hold almost immediately. Despite the pain, Manes continued to smirk at the other fighter's folly – after all, he was a Daiesthai. Pain meant little to him in the long run other than to affirm that he was fighting someone worthy.

"I wonder how I should kill you," Manes said, looking up into the air at Rubedo, who had yet to move after feeling the effects of his Eclipse hex – a spell that was now fading away from the brown-haired fighter's body. "Dismembering you would be satisfying, but hume bleed out too quickly for that...perhaps burning you alive, one piece at a time will suffice..." His deranged musings ceased as he focused again on hexing Rubedo's body, this time conjuring what looked like a ring of green, spiral-shaped glyphs around Rubedo's form. Rubedo tensed, expecting the glyph to initiate some kind of attack as the first had done, but none came to greet the Planeswalker.

He wasn't sure whether he felt better or worse about that fact, given the reactionary effects that the Arrancar's spells seemed to contain. Either way, he reasoned, he wasn't going to learn anything about his opponent's tactics by standing still and letting him cast magic on him all day – one spell might be fatal. The healing energies of Esuna magic played over his face, cutting away the magical haze impairing his sight, and he sprang into action again.

The smirk on Manes' face vanished quickly as Rubedo reappeared in front of him, his fist transiting the space between them in the blink of an eye and just missing Manes' chest as he dodged aside. The demon's right arm swept upward in retaliation, swatting Rubedo's arm away even as his left hand charged a yellow-colored energy ball with the intent of burying it in Rubedo's side or torso. Any ideas he might've gotten about doing just that were quashed as Rubedo vanished again, sending Manes flying forward onto the floor with a quick kick to the back after his planar transit resolved. This time, instead of feeling outright pain, Rubedo felt a draining sensation as Manes tried to recover, his physical energy seemingly sapped away from his body as Manes got back to his feet after the strike.

"What's the matter?" the Arrancar sneered, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth where his face had scraped the tile. "You're looking a little weak there...all the magic too much for you?" The taunt did little to affect Rubedo, who was mentally going over what information he'd already learned.

"_Clearly excels in magic, given how quickly he moved out of my range earlier and how many spells he's been throwing around. Doesn't even seem to like melee combat, despite the fact that he's carrying a sword like most Arrancar. Uses a lot of spells that react to certain actions from their target...that was probably a Bala that I saw a moment ago, too – not enough energy in it to be a Cero."_

"Not really," Rubedo replied, settling back into a more balanced stance as the jade-colored glyph faded away. "I've watched you long enough. Now it's _my _turn."

The Daiesthai barely had time to blink before Rubedo was upon him, fists and feet flying in a blisteringly fast dance of strikes. A low-flying hook caught Manes in the side, opening him up for a straight kick that pushed him away even as Rubedo leapt forward to follow, fiery energy flashing around his hand as he lashed out again. The static sound returned as Manes' Sonido carried him out of the way, and he glanced back as he appeared several feet to Rubedo's left to see a large crater in the tiled surface, with Rubedo's fist directly in the center.

Rapidly, he called up the energy for another hexing spell, the same dark-colored glyph he'd used earlier reappearing around Rubedo's form, but it didn't stop the brown-haired fighter from spinning on his heel and dashing towards him again, fist reared for another dangerously-powerful smash. The Arrancar ducked under the diving punch, but wound up countered almost before he began his own attack by a powerful kick that knocked him up and off his feet, cutting into his chest. A second followed, Rubedo paying no heed to the retaliatory burst of Dark-element energy from the hex nor the blindness creeping across his vision as he spun, his heel digging into Manes' stomach and blasting him away to crash painfully onto the floor some distance away.

"Must be a blow to your pride, getting kicked around by a mortal," Rubedo commented, chuckling faintly as he watched Manes drag himself back to a standing position.

Across from Rubedo, the Arrancar was seething; those kicks had hurt, as loathe as he was to admit it, and that in itself was making him even angrier – a mortal shouldn't be able to fight so effectively with an Arrancar like him! The faint ringing sound of metal sounded in the room as Manes slowly drew the blade at his right side, a curved blade with a rectangular guard sporting sickle-shaped designs and a dark-yellow hilt, and placed the blade's edge atop his right forearm. The static sound of his Sonido returned as he moved behind Rubedo before striking out with the weapon, only to have Rubedo leap neatly over both the weapon and Manes himself as if he'd seen the attack coming from a mile away.

"What…?"

Try as he might, Manes couldn't suppress the surprise in his voice even as energy expanded from Rubedo's form, a bright crimson ring of power rolling away from him like a shockwave and melding itself to the walls of the laboratory. As he landed behind Manes, Rubedo similarly couldn't contain the faint vestiges of a smirk that played across his face.

"This is checkmate."

"Why, you…!" Manes' face screwed up into a visage of fury, and energy danced around his free right hand as he cast another hex over Rubedo…

Or, at least, tried to. The moment the spell left his hand, it seemed to freeze in mid-air in front of him, followed immediately by the spell's energy discharging over his own body, causing him to yell in pain as the energy from his own spell tore away at his form. Painfully, he took a staggered step forward, bits of his body burned from the energy released in the failed spell, but gripped his sword even tighter as his teeth grated together.

"That was some trick…" he spat, forcefully trying to bring his anger back under control as he raised him sword again and glared hatefully at the Planeswalker in front of him. Energy began to build around him as he focused and reached within himself for the power lying there, an action which caused Rubedo to sit up and take notice, figuratively speaking, as he felt the power gathering around the Arrancar. "Allow me to show you one of mine. Consume, Frez-"

"Manes."

_(End: Pluto (Manes' Battle Theme) - Black∞Hole, Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 2)_

Manes didn't get to finish his sentence as Destine appeared beside him, first noticing his rather injured appearance and then the younger Planeswalker standing opposite him.

"About damn time you got back," he muttered, not really caring at present whether the Pillar could kill him or not. Destine, to her credit, ignored his rude greeting as she turned to him, apparently unconcerned about his injuries.

"You finished your task, I assume?" she asked, a question to which he gave no response for several seconds.

"Yeah, I finished one of them," he replied, still looking in Rubedo's direction. "One to go."

"Leave him," Destine said, causing Manes' furious expression to turn to her. "We've plans to finish; wasting time on mortals is not part of them." Not for the first time, Manes wanted nothing more but to bury the sharp end of his blade in the Pillar's face, but managed to refrain from actually carrying out the action.

"Whatever," he muttered, reluctantly sheathing his sword again. Before Rubedo could react, both Destine and Manes were gone, leaving only the Planeswalker standing in the demolished laboratory. Rubedo tilted his head slightly at the sight of the abrupt departure, finally letting his body relax.

"This day just got much more interesting," he said, sighing and stretching out the tension from his body. "I had better go tell Katanas." A slight smile appeared on his face as his next thought crossed his mind.

"He might even pretend to be surprised for a change."

* * *

For those of you who know about _Bleach_ and are far enough into the series, you should recognize the (numerous) references almost immediately. We used a lot of elements from the series in our story later on, most of which were the idea of Iron Reaver (he was the one who introduced both myself and DWR to the series), so credit for a lot of theincorporation of_ Bleach _ideas into our own canon goes to him.

I tried to show a few things with the fight between Rubedo and Manes. Manes, while powerful, is a fairly arrogant individual - especially when it comes to mortals, as he refuses to believe that any mortal could match the level of power that a Daiesthai stands at. That cost him dearly here; he had the upper hand against Rubedo while the Planeswalker tried to figure out his hexes, and could've likely finished him off if he had tried. He also greatly underestimated Rubedo's power and speed, expecting that his _Sonido _would be able to keep him out of melee range. Obviously, he was wrong.

As always, please read and review.


	45. I, III, XII: Fracture

Well, I very much apologize for all the delay in getting this next chapter out. I've now started college again for my last semester, and I'm eagerly awaiting my graduation in December. Unfortunately, all my classes this semester involve tons of busy work, so it's really been cutting into my free time. Along with the fact that I have a new job, it took me quite some time before I could actually sit down and get serious work done on this. However, there are only around 2 to 3 chapters left in this arc - once I finish this arc, I'll likely take some time to return to work on _Chronicles of the Chosen. _

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter XII—Fracture_

_

* * *

_

[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Estharian Presidential Palace, Lobby | 6:18 PM]

* * *

Yawning, I take a glance at a digital clock on the wall of the lobby here in the Palace – we've been here two hours, and our cursory investigation here is more or less complete. We didn't find any evidence that it was arson, but rather a bit of faulty wiring in an office that started the blaze. Likely an issue with outdated construction and age, Eve had said, and none of us found any reason to disagree, even considering the robbery that had happened while our investigation was taking place.

At least, that's what would be put on the official report for now. The Presidential Guard would continue to investigate once things were back in order in the palace, as there were still minor suspicions that it was connected to the events in Galbadia. We would have liked to have taken more time going over the damaged wing of the palace for clearer evidence and indications of where and how the fire started, but Katanas ordered us all back to Trabia Garden a few minutes ago, and you can't exactly disobey orders from the SeeD Commander.

"Well, it was fun," I say, looking over at Eve as we prepare to head out of the palace. "Mostly, anyway."

"We'll keep an ear out and let you know if we come across any information regarding things here," Andréa states, to which Eve nods.

"We appreciate it," the woman replies. "Seems like the whole world's up in arms lately. First Galbadia, and now here in Esthar. Even Dollet seems like it's got its fair share of turmoil right now."

"You'd think another Sorceress was going to show up if you didn't know any better," Silvia adds. "Not a thought I'd like to entertain, mind you."

"Take care," Naoki says, nodding politely to Eve. "It wouldn't do to have something happen to the President here in a time like this."

"Agreed," Eve remarks as she turns to leave. "Have a safe trip, Major."

No further goodbyes or pleasantries other than a polite wave from the receptionist are exchanged as we exit the Presidential Palace of Esthar, set on returning to Trabia Garden for our debriefing.

"You're still thinking about that robbery, aren't you?" I hear Sumiko ask from behind me as we walk towards the gates.

"Somewhat," Naoki responds. "I thought that Lieutenant Commander Hanley said that we would have assistance from the Presidential Guard when we engaged the robbers?"

"I think she was as surprised as we were, really," I say, glancing back at the pair. "I never saw anyone else – did you?"

"I was too busy saving you from yourself to check," Silvia jokes, causing me to sigh.

"Tell me you expect speed-inverting fields. Go on. Tell me," I deadpan, earning what might've passed for a chuckle from Andréa.

"Do you think that they had help? Someone tying up the rest of the Guard while the group we saw made off with the goods?" Sumiko asks Naoki, who shrugs lightly in reply.

"Potentially – it's not out of the question by any means. I would, however, be interested in knowing what was stolen, seeing as we were told that said items were 'classified information.'"

"It's Esthar's problem to handle, Naoki – if they want our help, I'm sure they'll ask for it again," Andréa chimes in.

"I'll agree that it doesn't feel right," I add. "And just who were those robbers, anyhow?" There's several long seconds of quiet that yields no answer to my question as we walk, and Andréa finally speaks up as we turn a corner towards the parking garage and airport where we entered the city.

"I've no real way to verify it until we get back, but I believe that those four might've been members of a rogue gang of Alchemists that set up shop here in Esthar some time ago."

"Are you talking about the Royal Thieves' Guild?" Silvia suddenly asks, earning a nod from Andréa. "I've heard of them – no one really knows much about them here in the city. Everyone's too afraid of retribution to bother trying to gather any kind of solid information on them."

"Even the police?" Sumiko asks, tilting her head towards Silvia.

"The police can't find any links to them, or their hideout – apparently, they do a pretty good job of getting rid of evidence."

"Like blowing up parts of buildings?" I add, remembering the explosion that happened right after the robbers escaped.

"Probably," Andréa says calmly. "I'll have to see if Katanas knows anything about it."

"Given who you're talking about, it's quite likely that he has at least some information," Naoki comments, causing Sumiko to turn her attention back towards him.

"You noticed too, huh?" she asks, causing Naoki to smile.

"It's rather hard not to. No matter what the situation or question, he always seems to be one step ahead of the person or people that he's addressing."

"Wonder where he gets all the information from?" I ask, looking between Naoki and Sumiko. Each of us looks at the others for a moment, before we all shrug or otherwise dismiss the question in nearly-simultaneous fashion. No sense in wondering about something that we'll likely never get a straight answer to.

Our discussion also seems to have had the effect of distracting me from just where we were, as well, because only Silvia's glance upwards alerts me to the fact that we're nearly right in front of the massive shape of the red and white airship and vehicle station that we arrived at here in Esthar. As we start to walk into the facility to begin the trip back to Trabia, I can't resist stating the thought that crosses my mind.

"So, uh…anyone remember where we parked?"

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 6:41 PM]

* * *

Katanas went over the notes he'd been taking ever since Rubedo began talking with a quiet demeanor, eyes flickering over the hastily written transcription with interest as he tried to solve the bigger puzzle that he knew was present. While he was less than surprised to hear that Destine was on the mortal plane once again, as he knew that she and Will were known visit from time to time, he _was _surprised to hear that she had a Daiesthai - specifically, an Arrancar - accompanying her. That fact alone was setting off warning bells in his mind, though he had little clue as to what Destine might be planning other than it was surely nothing good.

Beside him, Ein sat quietly, yet nervously, in his chair, occasionally fidgeting in his seat as if he was uncomfortable, though that wasn't the case. Despite Ein's exceptional talent for his age, the boy was still just that - a boy - and Katanas knew that it was only natural for him to feel restless.

"Ein, can you go over the report from Galbadia again for me, please?" Katanas asked, Ein's eyes immediately snapping back to attention as he hastily shuffled through the pile of papers in his lap for Katanas' request. He recovered a two-page long document moments later, quickly confirming that he had the right report in his hands before clearing his throat and beginning to read.

"Lieutenant General Marcus Duran was apprehended on June 30, 2152, in the Presidential Palace of Galbadia by operational force 'Delta Squad' on the grounds of treason against the Galbadian military. Forty-seven Galbadian soldiers associated with the revolt were also arrested on similar charges, and all are currently awaiting trial by military tribunal at an undisclosed location. The Galbadian government issued -"

"Ein, could you skip ahead and see if there were any reports of interrogations done after the arrests?" Katanas interrupted, causing Ein to nod and begin to skim down the page for any such notes. Finding nothing on the first page, he flipped to the second, tracing down the text written there for several seconds before looking back up at Katanas.

"Sorry, I don't see anything here," he replied, to which Katanas sighed.

"I thought as much," he said, turning back to the papers in front of him. "You can continue, Rubedo."

"Well, that Arrancar was pretty snotty, but he had some interesting abilities," Rubedo said, leaning back in his chair. "Bunch of hexes and status magic that affected me only after I made to hit him, and something that drained my energy in a similar fashion. Wasn't much of a melee fighter, though," he continued, shrugging a little. "Couple good hits and he tried to release, but Destine showed up and stopped him."

"You said he was the...fourteenth Arrancar?" Katanas asked calmly.

"Yeah. _Catorce_, if I heard him right," Rubedo remarked. "Anyway, after that, Destine asked him if he'd finished the task she'd given him, and he sorta blew her off. Then she said something about 'having plans to complete,' and they both went off and left me there. Kinda sloppy if you ask me, leaving an enemy just lying around like that, but..." he trailed off, offering another shrug as Katanas frowned.

That she had mentioned some sort of "task" for the Arrancar to finish had only increased Katanas' level of worry, as Rubedo had no idea what she was talking about, nor had he seen any signs of what she may have been doing at the abandoned facility. Idly, he considered asking Will for his counsel, but decided that he would try to put a few more pieces together before he called upon the Pillar of Foretelling for his help.

"Is there anything else that you heard, saw, maybe felt in the research center? Anything that seemed out of place, so to speak?"

"Now that you mention it, there was one strange thing about the whole encounter," Rubedo commented, pausing for a moment as Katanas' expression grew intrigued. "The whole time, I could feel some kind of energy that felt a bit like your Alchemy deal here, but I never saw him use any, draw a circle, anything like that. Could be wrong, but it seemed pretty similar to me."

"Do you think he was using some kind of Alchemy to increase his own power?" Ein asked, interested by Rubedo's comment.

"Maybe," Rubedo replied. Katanas remained silent as he took in the information, mulling over all the various and disjointed pieces of data he'd come across regarding world events. Movement of the Hachikyuusan into Galbadia, Dollet, and all around Esthar's capital, the revolt in Galbadia, a fire and now a robbery in the Presidential Palace of Esthar if his SeeD team's report was correct...it all amounted to a large melting pot of turmoil around the world, and he didn't like it.

"Ein, give President Loire a call and see if you can get clearance to find out more about what just happened in Esthar. While you do that, I'll go ahead and -"

Katanas found himself cut off in mid-order by the sudden appearance of another magical aura in the room, near the far wall. His eyes moved over, and then widened slightly as he noticed the dark-haired Pillar of Destiny standing near the exit to his office. Rubedo also noticed the sudden intrusion and turned to face Destine, his features contorting into a slight frown as he saw her - no sign of the Daiesthai that was with her, he noticed.

"...May I help you, Destine?" Katanas asked politely, steepling his fingers before him, wondering all the while exactly what reason the Pillar could possibly have for walking directly into his office unannounced, especially given what Rubedo had just reported about her activity. To her credit, she seemed remarkably unfazed, calm even, as if she'd not done a thing wrong in all the world.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she answered, her tone casual, as though she were discussing nothing more sinister than the weather with friends. "I need to borrow one of the Planeswalkers you have working for you here, if you don't mind. Any of them will do - I merely need a message delivered."

"You can't deliver it yourself?" Rubedo asked, meeting Destine's gaze with his own moderately-suspicious one.

"I'm very busy, you understand. Having someone to help makes my job easier - much like having Ein here does for Katanas."

Katanas' facial expression didn't waver as he watched the female Pillar. He didn't know exactly what she wanted with a Planeswalker serving at Garden, but he knew that it was obviously some kind of trap on her part. Her recent actions were too suspicious and damning for it to be anything but…however, he thought, some insight might come of such a development. After all, how better to gain information than firsthand? It was a calculated risk, he knew, but it was one he was prepared to at least hear out before he made a decision.

If he accepted and things went sour, then he was prepared to take personal responsibility for it.

"I'm listening."

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Airstation | 6:55 PM]

* * *

"Yes, Commander?"

Andréa's voice cuts through the general silence aboard the airship, which is now running safety checks and other transmissions to the control tower before takeoff. The four of us look over, interested, but can't hear anything past Andréa's side of the communication through the GLD.

"Of course. I'll notify him immediately, Commander."

The conversation is over in less than a minute, and Andréa's gaze turns to me as she puts her GLD away.

"Powell, it looks like you've got another mission here."

"Oh?" I ask, wondering just what could've come up on such short notice.

"Katanas says that he just got a visit from Destine, wanting a Planeswalker to deliver a message for her."

That really does cause me to blink, caught completely off-guard by the request. "…Okay…what kind of a message?"

"She never said, from what Katanas just told me. He thinks it's a trap, too, because apparently there was some kind of an incident involving her out at the old Deep Sea Research Center recently, so he's going to send Instructor Bayloh along with you in case anything goes wrong. He wants to know what she's up to, and he's hoping that this is an opportunity that can be used to find out exactly what that might be."

"Angel's coming too, huh…makes me feel at least a little bit better. Am I supposed to leave now, or…?"

"You'll be heading to the Sorceress Memorial outside of Esthar," Andréa says, nodding to answer my question. "Instructor Bayloh will meet you there – he already left Trabia, according to Katanas."

"Got it. Either Angel or I will get back in touch with Katanas and let him know the situation once we find out more about it ourselves."

"Just try not to die," she remarks wryly, causing me to roll my eyes.

"That generally isn't something I aim to make a part of my day," I say with a chuckle, beginning to head towards the exit of the ship. "See you back at Trabia."

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 7:04 PM]

* * *

"They stole _what _now?"

Rubedo's voice held more than a faint bit of surprise – after all, while he wasn't well-acquainted personally with what the artifact in question could do, he _was _well-informed as to its potential.

"A Philosopher's Stone," Ein repeated, having only gotten off the phone with Laguna Loire some moments ago. "As well as an Odine Bangle."

"Well, it seems we've found the source of the Alchemic energy you said that you felt, Rubedo," Katanas stated.

"Sounds like it," Rubedo agreed, leaning slightly onto Katanas' desk. "But what would she want with a Philosopher's Stone? For all that those things can do, wouldn't she already be able to do everything that one might possibly be needed for?"

"That's a good question," the SeeD Commander admitted, looking over at Ein. "Ideas?"

"Maybe…she's just using it to increase her own power?" Ein ventured hesitantly. "Could it be that simple?"

"Possibly...though, in that case, why would the Daiesthai with her be in possession of it? As Rubedo said, there doesn't seem to be much of a reason for her to want a Philosopher's Stone."

"Maybe that's the whole reason," Rubedo broke in, looking at Katanas. "Maybe she's eliminating tools. Denying her enemies resources, in a way."

"That could explain why she took an Odine Bangle," Ein added. "If Odine can cut off a Sorceress' power with one, do you think it would have some kind of effect on her, too?"

"It's a sound possibility," Katanas agreed. "Ein, besides the incident with Duran, what other major events have happened as of late? Perhaps there are other things there that Destine has had dealings in."

Ein paused for a moment, ignoring the abrupt subject change in favor of trying to recall the information Katanas desired. "Well, there were rumors that the crime lords and gangs in Galbadia and Dollet have been a bit more active lately, and we heard about the Hachikyuusan having a presence over there too…" he started, looking between Katanas and Rubedo. "And now the fire and robbery in Esthar to go along with it."

"Awful lot of trouble for one week, wouldn't you say?" Rubedo cut in. "Doubt it's all coincidence."

"Hm…Destine could well be pulling some of the strings behind all of this," Katanas admitted. "But for what reason?"

"You've got me," Rubedo replied. "I don't really see what she'd have to gain by starting a little havoc on the mortal plane."

"Nor do I," Katanas mused, looking between Ein and Rubedo. "However, if she went to the trouble to get her hands on a Philosopher's Stone, then she's planning something big. The question is…just _what_ is she aiming to accomplish?"

* * *

[July 3, 2152 | Esthar, Sorceress Memorial | 7:19 PM]

* * *

Upon first glance, I'd almost say that the name "Sorceress Memorial" is a bit of a misnomer – this building looks like it was designed more along the lines of a research facility than some kind of memorial. The exterior is fairly dull in both design and color, with drab gray, black, and white tones adorning the vaguely-ovular shaped structure.

Near the middle, a large, circular tower juts above the 'roof,' adding the appearance of a second or third floor in a single area to the building. Granted, given its original purpose, memorial really _is _a bit of a misnomer; it was originally designed to seal magic within itself and was used to lock Adel in a stasis chamber during the Sorceress War, which was then jettisoned into space. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the place looks deserted. A parking lot for visitors and staff is completely devoid of vehicles, and the rest of the building appears much the same. No lights of any kind illuminate the area, even though night is slowly beginning to fall, with the only light source being that of the setting sun overhead casting its glow over the area.

"Don't see anyone," I say to myself, approaching the large building carefully. Nothing leaps out at me as I walk, pacing through the parking lot and towards the nearest entrance to the building, and for a brief moment I think that Angel and Destine might be inside instead of out here.

"What took you so long?" a voice calls from above me, and I look up to see Angel sitting quietly on the edge of the roof.

"Didn't quite know my way here," I reply, shrugging. "I couldn't just teleport since I didn't know what this place looked like, so I had to fly."

"Why didn't you use the Path?" he asks, earning a moment of silence from me as I realize that I could've, in fact, used the Crystal Path to get here more rapidly.

"Would you believe it didn't occur to me?" I say, a faint smile tracing across my face as Angel shakes his head from atop his perch. "I thought you didn't like to teleport or use the Path?"

"Normally, I like to enjoy the journey," Angel replies, nodding briefly right before he shifts his weight, flinging himself off the roof almost casually and landing in front of me with relative ease – after, what I note, is about a fifteen-foot drop. "But a situation like this called for more…expeditious actions."

"Which is a fancy way of saying you needed to move faster." My deadpan delivery causes Angel to chuckle as he looks around the area, seemingly looking for our Ethereal contact.

"Something like that."

"She hasn't shown yet?" I ask, joining him in sweeping the area with my own attentive gaze. "I thought she was waiting for us?"

"That was the assumption," Angel comments. Before he can continue, however, both of us turn as the familiar feel of another magical energy signature permeates the area, leaving us looking at the dark-clad Pillar of Destiny as she stands in the empty lot like she'd been there all along.

Given who she is, however, there's really no way to say she _hasn't been._

"…Hi," I finally say, not really knowing what else to do. I haven't quite figured out how to talk to the Pillars yet, with the exception of Will; he seems to act just like any other mortal person I've met instead of a semi-immortal linchpin of reality.

"Well," she says, her voice the pinnacle of calm and collectedness, "I can certainly say that I did not expect mister DeValle to send the two of you. Freya's most loyal and honored Planeswalker of the nineteenth Order, and the _rookie…_quite the pairing."

The momentary flash of irritation that crosses my mind at the word 'rookie' is quickly banished, knowing that the woman in front of me is exactly right – as much as I hate admitting it, I am still very much inexperienced at all the Planeswalker business.

"It's rare that you come down here to the mortal plane, Lady Destine – I assume it's something important?"

Angel's tone has switched from mostly-casual to mostly-businesslike in the span of a sentence, and Destine gives what might pass for a shrug at his inquiry.

"Mostly. Your mortal politics have intrigued me greatly as of late," she remarks, causing me to frown.

"Politics?" I ask, wondering exactly what she's getting at. "What do you mean?"

"Such simple creatures, and yet…the same reactions from mortal and Ethereal beings alike. Attacking that which they don't understand or that which is different, both verbally and physically…rebellion for the most simple and base causes, regardless of the consequences or meaning of their actions," she continues, seemingly ignoring my questions completely. My gaze shifts to Angel, wondering if he's currently as confused as I am about what the Pillar is saying, but his face holds more of a stern expression instead of confusion, almost silent understanding.

"It's part of Galbadia's history," he says. "Wars fought over things as simple as who owns a forest along national borders. This is no different."

"A nation full of prejudice and hate," Destine remarks with a smile. "How nice to see that mistakes propagate throughout planes like ripples in a pond."

"It's nice to see that thousands of people lose their lives over ridiculous causes?" I ask, stunned by her apparent callousness.

"Merely…unsurprising to see how painfully blind mortal and Ethereal beings alike can be," she replies. "Those in charge tend to be blindest of all."

'_Tell me about it,' _I think to myself, finding myself reminded of our recent mission to Galbadia. "So, you've been watching everything that's been happening down here?"

"In a fashion. It's a fascinating game of chess, really…watching all the pieces fall into place, and the inevitable conflict that results."

"I never fancied you one for chess, Destine," Angel comments, causing me to take notice of the fact that he didn't address her as "Lady Destine" this time.

"The game has its charms, I will admit," Destine states, seemingly paying no heed to the lack of formality from Angel. "The battle of wits between two individuals is often an elegant exchange, right down to the sacrifices made by each side."

The expression on Angel's face suddenly hardens, as if Destine's statement meant more to him than I was catching at first glance, and the nagging feeling in my mind that told me something was wrong ever since the moment we got here suddenly erupts in a full-blown mental warning alarm.

The briefest flash of energy from behind me is the only warning that I get that the feeling isn't just nerves, and that the situation is in fact not as it would appear. A blade flashes just above my head as I duck, crouching and throwing my body forward and away from the sudden attack from behind me. Angel spins easily, Atma Weapon clearing its sheath with hardly a sound as the Vayash Moru scowls, facing my attacker warily.

"I thought for sure that would take your head off," a voice says, belonging to a man dressed in a white coat with black trim and similarly-patterned shoes, his outstretched hand holding a yellow and silver-colored blade still in the endings of his slicing motion. My breathing is rapid and heavy as I move back to my feet, realizing that I came about an inch from a permanent death.

"You alright?" Angel says from beside me, to whom my only immediate response is to slide one of my blades out of its sheath at my side with a soft scraping sound, not taking my eyes off the long-haired, coat-clad man for even the briefest of moments.

"I'll live," I reply, after a few seconds of getting my breathing and heart rate back under control. The man in front of us hasn't wavered an inch, only moving his sword back down to his side and replacing it into its sheath with a 'click.' "Looks like it _was _a trap, though."

"I figured it was," Angel remarks, carefully examining the man in front of him and taking in every detail about his stance, his weapon, and his expression. "Makes things exciting."

"You can talk about exciting when I've turned your existence into a festering pit of agony," the white-clad figure states as Destine appears beside him. She looks quite pleased with herself, something that's making me sick to my stomach – after all, she's supposed to be an extension of Freya's will, someone tasked with upholding reality…not killing Freya's own Planeswalkers and causing rampant chaos on our plane.

"As long as you don't kill them, you may do what you wish, Manes. Indiscriminate slaughter isn't the purpose of this."

"Tch…fine," Manes snorts, clearly displeased with Destine's order. "Shouldn't take much to make a pair of mortals beg for mercy."

"It won't be that easy!" I yell, balancing my weight evenly in my stance and preparing to move at the slightest hint of provocation. "We're gonna take care of your little 'servant' here, and then we're gonna tell Freya all about how you're trying to kill off her own Planeswalkers!"

"Consider my statement amended," Destine says casually to Manes, who spares a glance at her. "You can kill _him._ Leave the other alive." His face lights up with a sadistic smile, and magic starts to gather around his fingertips as he turns his attention back to the pair of us.

"Gladly."

_(Play: The Distance to a Duel – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

In the blink of an eye, the three of us are in motion, with my left hand snapping up and quickly throwing a trio of drawn throwing knives at the person before us. Angel seems to vanish from his position even as Manes evades the knives, the distance too far to catch him off-guard. I can feel magic settle around me as some sort of blue, triangle-shaped glyphs begin circling my body, and Manes smirks as he seems to notice the same fact. Angel reappears as the magic finishes casting, the Atma Weapon slicing across and forcing Manes to step back as his chest is nearly split open by the blade. A burst of Fire magic explodes nearly in Angel's face in retaliation, but he keeps going, another vertical strike evaded by a sidestep from Destine's accomplice. Quickly, I lunge forward as Angel steps out of the way, my own sword coming down and cutting across Manes' chest forcefully.

The disturbing leer that I get in response instead of a grimace of pain serves to unnerve me more than I already am, also causing Angel to briefly pause as he sees the strike connect.

Instead of a deep cut, the only indication that I even hit him at all is a faint line of blood and a tear in his clothes…and I know that I put quite a bit of force behind that strike, not to mention that it was a direct hit and not a glancing blow.

"Heh…you can barely even cut me," he says, the unnerving smile never leaving his face. "Pity." Magic flares up around his hands again, and Angel goes back on the attack with a flurry of quick strikes as another series of glyphs appear around my body, this time dark in color and star-shaped. A surge of burning pain rips through my body as the glyphs fully appear, causing me to flinch back and gasp in pain and confusion as the burning sensation hits me. I don't know exactly what happened – it didn't seem like any kind of a direct attack at all, but it hurts like he hit me in the face with some kind of spell. As I regain my bearings, I can see Angel land a strike on his lower body, a small spray of blood preceding the appearance of a more noticeable gash on Manes' torso.

"Better," he mutters, right before Angel goes sailing through the air in a heap on the end of a potent Aero spell, flying past me to land on the concrete behind my position. Growling, my blade starts to shimmer with red energy as I leap forward again, slicing down and sending a curved burst of energy from the blade that rapidly closes in on Manes…

Only to miss as his form seems to disappear, accompanied by what sounds like a burst of radio static or something similar.

My eyes widen in surprise as I look around, wondering exactly where he went for an instant before I feel his aura again. Quickly, I turn just in time to deflect a thick shard of ice that was heading towards my back as I see Angel get up and glance over to me to make sure I'm still okay.

"Just as I thought," he says, the smirk on his face reminding me far too much of Darius' own. "You can't keep up with my speed."

"We'll see!" I yell, the verbal barb hitting a nerve as I cast Haste magic on myself and charge forward again, now almost twice as fast and fully intent on burying my sword's blade into Manes' skull. The next thing I know, my legs are thrown out from under me as something slams into my back forcefully, stunning me and tossing me forward onto the concrete much like Angel had been moments ago.

The sounds of more magic being cast assault my ears through the pain, accompanied by what sounds like cracking or shattering stone from behind me as I start to get back to my feet. Angel, who now appears to have the same dark-colored glyphs floating around him, is viciously striking out at Manes with the Atma Weapon, his strikes seemingly just missing the mage by centimeters but coming close enough to slice lines in his white coat.

More knives appear in my hands as I draw on my Alchemy abilities, and Lightning-elemental energy crackles around them as I step forward and throw them at Manes, who appears to be fighting defensively against Angel's swordsmanship by using bursts of magic to counter his strikes bare-handed. The enchanted knives multiply in mid-air as they fly, and several strike true, digging into the white-clad mage's upper body and arms but still seeming to do little more than irritate him as he smashes Angel with a powerful burst of Dark energy.

"I told you, you ca-"

His sentence is cut off abruptly by a portal of light appearing over his head and releasing a powerful beam of Holy energy that slams into him from above, shattering the stone surface in a large radius around where he's standing and drawing a yell of pain and anger from him for the first time. Angel seems to be standing a bit straighter as well, the Dark energy looking to have healed him somewhat due to his vampiric nature.

"Gah…" I mutter, using the distraction to clear some of the dizziness away and catch my breath. "Did you get him?"

"Don't think so," Angel remarks, keeping his blade ahead of him in a guarded posture. "Stay sharp." Absently, I notice that the shimmering symbols around my body have all faded away now, apparently with no effect…but that only serves to make me more worried as to what they could have possibly done. Much like Angel, I keep my blade out and ready, waiting to catch sight of Manes' form again as the smoke from Angel's attack clears.

Not even Angel expects the ball of dark yellow-colored energy that flies from the dust cloud, rocketing towards him and bypassing his sword to strike him in the stomach and explode before he can react.

"Angel!" I yell, watching him go tumbling again from the rapid magical attack, right before my blade comes up to defend against Manes' own as he reappears right beside me with the same brief burst of static noise. Almost immediately, I'm being pushed back by the attacks, the quick strikes within my ability to defend against but much more powerful than I expected – my sword feels like it's going to give way under all the stress every time I block or parry.

'_Is this guy like Angel…?' _I wonder, gritting my teeth and pushing back under the force of a cleaving blow to throw Manes' blade up and away before counterattacking. A circle of energy erupts from my sword as I spin in place rapidly, the _Fated Circle _attack crashing into Manes' guarded posture and pushing him back but seeming to do little actual damage. Fortunately, that wasn't the intent – I just needed to get a moment to prepare in order to deal some real damage. A bright orange orb of energy begins to gather in front of my left hand as I charge a spell, right before the _Flare _spell's beam bursts towards Manes with all the power of a speeding train.

A faint glimpse of something red suddenly passes through the edge of my vision, somewhere below eye-level, and I find myself shifting my attention to try and focus on it when the pain hits. All at once, I realize that what I glimpsed was blood, and that there's a dull, cold ache in my stomach that wasn't there a second ago.

"Worthless."

My eyes cast downward only to see a thick splatter of blood around me, and I can feel my legs buckle and give way beneath me as I realize that I've almost been cut in half at the waist.

"Ben!"

Angel's voice cuts through the sudden silence as I drop to the concrete of the parking lot with a choked cry of surprise, landing in a heap and catching the sight of Manes standing behind me with a blade now covered in blood.

'_When…did he…?'_

It occurs to me too late that he waited on me to attack purposefully, knowing that I'd leave myself open the moment I cast my spell. Trying to move, to do anything that can help me defend myself, I can only watch as he turns and starts walking towards me, only to stop as Angel suddenly appears at his side via a quick planeswalk and brings his sword down in a furious arc. Manes actually takes a step back from the force of the blow, and I can see now that Angel's face is now in its vampiric appearance as he kicks Manes solidly in the chest, sending him flying away to tumble across the pavement.

"I'm your opponent now," he says angrily, right before he flies back into melee range with tremendous speed. I can't quite see what's happening from my spot on the ground, only able to really hear the sounds of clashing blades – and notice the slowly growing pool of blood around me. A few seconds pass, the sounds of steel striking steel the only noise to cut through the area, when a sound that vaguely resembles a high-pitched whine cuts through the air, followed barely a second later by the sight of an almost blindingly-bright beam of yellow energy passing a few meters in front of me. From the sound of Angel's scream of pain, it can't have been anything good, either.

"Damn…let's see if you manage to survive a _Cero_," I hear Manes say, his words sounding a bit more labored than they were a minute ago – probably because of Angel's focused attack. "Freak."

_(End: The Distance to a Duel – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

Blinking, I try to clear some of the spots from my vision, but it's getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open because of how heavy my body feels. I manage to shift my head enough to notice Angel, slowly standing up from the ground several meters away from where he and Manes seemed to be fighting with a tattered and burned coat, right before my strength gives out and my head slumps, the sights and sounds of everything around me fading into a dull silence.

* * *

I apologize in advance if the writing doesn't seem to be up to my usual standard; I've had a lot on my plate since starting again at college, especially in the past week. Next up, the finale to the entire arc - it will likely, much like the previous, be at least a two-part affair. As always, please read and review.


	46. I, III, XIII: Recovery

Well, we're heading into the finale of this arc now; the next two chapters should wrap most of the major things up. My writing really took a nosedive this semester because of all the busy work for my classes (two online classes were less than pleasing to me, especially when they were my _first _two online classes), and I'm about to head into finals week now. Nevertheless, I did manage to finish this chapter up, and with any luck, I'll have this arc wrapped up by New Year's or thereabouts.

Begin!  
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_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter XIII—Recovery_

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[July 4, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Infirmary | 9:10 AM]

* * *

The faint whispers of voices are the first things that I notice upon regaining consciousness…the second being that I'm still lying down, but not on solid concrete – rather, on something soft. Slowly, I reach up and wipe my eyes as I start to open them, trying to ignore the stinging of the sudden light in order to look around.

"Where…?"

The word comes out as little more than a murmur, my voice cracking slightly, and I realize that I'm no longer outside in the parking lot of the Sorceress Memorial, but in the polished white interior of the Trabia Garden infirmary. Not only that, but I feel groggy, like everything's a bit fuzzy and dulled.

"Still with us, huh?" I hear a voice say from beside me. "Glad to see it."

My head rolls to one side to see Angel – albeit from a sideways viewpoint – sitting in a chair beside the bed I'm lying on, once again dressed in his familiar black duster that shows no signs of the battle we were just in.

"…Seems like," I mutter, reaching up and yanking the small, yet annoying oxygen tube away from my nose. In the process of that, I catch a glimpse towards my chest and find that I'm covered in bandages from around my sternum to just below my stomach. "How bad is it?" I ask, to which Angel shakes his head.

"You've been out for…about fourteen hours," he replies, taking a quick glance at a clock up on the wall of the room. "You nearly got cut in half. Curative magic is good, but it can't do everything for something like that. They did some minor surgery on you to make sure everything was still in one piece; you're probably still under some of the effects of the anesthesia."

The grimace on my face likely tells Angel everything he needs to know about my opinion on the matter. "Lovely," I say, eyes shifting around the room to take in the surroundings. "Destine…?"

"Gone. Took her little minion with her."

"…We shouldn't even be alive right now, you know," I start, finally looking back at Angel. "How'd you manage to get out of there?"

"I'd say it's because I'm just that good," he jokes, "but sometimes…you just get lucky."

* * *

_Flashback_

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_Angel's breath came in rapid pants as he looked over at his foe – definitely an Arrancar, he realized. Very few normal Daiesthai were that powerful, and even fewer could manage to use Cero to any degree of effectiveness. The question of what Destine was doing, being all friendly with a Nether Plane being such as Manes, came back to the forefront of his mind as he tried to catch his breath. With Ben down, he was outmatched…granted, with Destine around, they had been outmatched from the beginning, but they might've had a chance against the Arrancar at least with both of them fighting._

"_I must say, I expected better from you," Manes said, his face twisting into a sneer. "The infamous Scourge of Dollet should be able to put up more of a fight than some run of the mill Hume."_

_Angel's eyes narrowed to slits at the mention of the title._

"_How did you…"_

"_Know? Please. Destine has her nice points from time to time…she already filled me in on who both of you are and what you're capable of."_

_Angel's grip tightened on his blade, his voice coming out in a sharp hiss as he reined his irritation back under control._

"_That's all in the past. I'm one of Freya's loyal chosen now."_

"_Which, while all well and good, will get you nowhere in the long run, Liam." Destine's voice interjected as the Pillar reappeared beside Manes, causing the Arrancar to lower his blade. "Look at the strength of just one of those who've turned to my cause. Your friend had little chance, and you're looking pretty ragged yourself."_

_As much as he wanted to protest otherwise, Angel knew that Destine was at least somewhat right. The Cero that Manes had used had done quite a bit of damage, and even with his enhanced durability he knew that he would be hard-pressed to take another one or two of them. Not to mention that he now had other concerns, namely getting the both of them out alive and informing Katanas._

_Discretion was the better part of valor, after all – no sense staying and fighting until the end when the mission isn't complete._

"_Then far be it from me to stay," he stated, vanishing from the Pillar's sight. Before Destine or Manes could move to stop him, he appeared beside Ben's body and hefted him over one shoulder, opening a gate to the Crystal Path and stepping through all in the span of barely two or three seconds._

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_End Flashback_

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"I see what you mean," I say quietly, listening as he finishes his brief recounting. "She could've done you in any time she wanted…wonder why she let you go?"

"Don't know, and can't say I really care," Angel responds, shrugging. "One thing does bother me, though. She mentioned Manes as being one of the ones who'd turned to her cause…I wonder how many more she has on her side?"

"Even one's too many, if you ask me," I reply. "Why's she even doing this? I thought she was supposed to be upholding reality, not trying to kill Planeswalkers…"

Angel's gaze turned down to the floor of the room, and his voice lowered in a presumable attempt to keep others from hearing. "You know of the war in the Ethereal Plane a few centuries ago, correct?"

I nod a moment later, wondering where he's going with this. "Yeah…what about it?"

"How many wars were there that can you think of in which everyone was happy at the end?" he continues, glancing back up at me. It takes a few moments, but I'm starting to see what he's getting at with this.

"So, you think Destine got screwed over by all of that somehow, and she's out for revenge?"

"Maybe not revenge, per se, but she might be after something in particular. If that's the case, then only Freya, Odin, or Xeios would really know what that might be."

"Gonna go ask?" With a bit of difficulty and some pain, I manage to shift myself by using my elbows and forearms to where I'm in a sitting position – I'm getting a bit tired of lying down.

"Probably, but not yet. I have a contact that I want to get some information from before I decide to do anything further," he comments.

"Contact? Anyone I k-"

Rapid footsteps nearby cause me to stop in mid-sentence, turning my attention towards the rapid clapping sound of shoes on tile, and I'm rewarded after a moment by the sight of both Tetsuya and Yuki quickly approaching where Angel and I are at, both looking decidedly anxious about something.

"Did you guys hear the news?" Tetsuya asks, his voice marred by moments of heavy breathing as if he'd run all the way from his dormitory room to the infirmary – which, from the looks of things, might not be too far from the truth.

"News?" I ask, my thoughts immediately turning to curiosity about what he could mean…and if it has anything more to do with Destine.

"They just found the President of Galbadia dead at his home!" Yuki says quickly, sounding a bit upset by the news.

"It's all over the news networks," Tetsuya continues, ignoring the look of absolute shock on my face. "Here, check it out!"

Before I can react, he moves to the table beside my bed, picking up what looks like a remote control and turning on a television mounted across from my bed, hanging down from part of the lowered ceiling. It flickers for a moment before coming on, audio beginning to stream from the speakers a few seconds later as the broadcast comes through. The image on the screen shows what I assume are Galbadian police officials scurrying across the perimeter of a fairly sizable mansion, apparently the home of the Galbadian leader.

"…can see, police investigation is still underway as to the death of Vinzer Deling Jr., President of the Republic of Galbadia. Officials report that Deling, as well as his wife, Maria Deling, were both found dead in their Galbadia City home at approximately 7:30 AM. The cause of death is still under investigation, but police suspect that foul play was involved. GNN will keep you posted on all the latest breaking news regarding this national tragedy-"

"What the hell…someone just assassinated the President of Galbadia _and_ his wife?" I exclaim, unable to contain my shock. Angel looks calmer about it, but still uneasy about the entire thing, and from the looks of things his thoughts are moving in the same direction that mine are.

"Yeah…unbelievable, right?" Tetsuya replies, nodding – he seems to have gotten over most of his surprise; likely, he knew some time before he told us. "It's been all over the news since about a quarter past eight."

"You've got to be kidding me…" I mutter quietly. First, attacks on the Presidential Palaces of both Galbadia and Esthar, and now the assassination of the Galbadian President? "Who's running Galbadia now?"

"We don't know," Yuki replies, her voice calmer and more collected now. "No one on the news has mentioned it yet."

"Think there's any connection between our SeeD exam and Deling getting knocked off?" Tetsuya asks, putting one hand on the hip of his white trenchcoat.

"Not a clue, but there could be, if any of those disloyal soldiers were left," I remark, shifting on the bed and sitting up a bit straighter. As I do, Angel stands up from his seat beside the bed.

"This just gives me something else to ask about. I'm headed to Dollet, if anyone needs to know. Maybe I can find out something about what just happened in Galbadia while I'm there."

"Take care of yourself," I say, nodding to Angel.

"You just rest up," he replies. "I'll let you know what I find out."

Without another word, Angel departs the room, his dark-colored duster flapping lightly behind him as he leaves. I can't see it, but I can feel the telltale flash of magic in the air that accompanies his Planeswalking, letting me know exactly how important he must consider this. I've asked Angel before why he prefers normal transportation over Planeswalking, and the answer I got boiled down to the fact that in his eyes, it seems practical yet boring – there's no journey, no great wonders to take in along the way, and that's something that he takes great enjoyment from.

"…Could either of you get me a nurse?" I ask, looking at Tetsuya and Yuki, who are still standing at the foot of my bed, quietly conversing among themselves. "I want out of this place already."

"…I…I'm not sure that's a good idea," Yuki says after a moment's consideration.

"Why not? I mean, I'm feeling better, and I don't think I'm gonna bleed to death now, so-"

My words suddenly stop as I try to swing myself over the side of the bed to stand up, replaced by a short and surprised cry of pain as another burning spike of pain rises up from my abdomen.

"See?" Tetsuya remarks, folding his arms as Yuki gets me to move back to a resting position, somewhere in-between helping and forcing me to do so. "Bad idea. So, sit down, and let the nurses take care of you, for Hyne's sake."

Try as I might, I can't seem to be angry at Tetsuya…especially considering that they _are_ right.

"…Maybe another hour couldn't hurt."

* * *

[July 4, 2152 | Dollet, Jacinto Street | 9:27 AM]

* * *

Dollet was, by its very nature, a rather luxurious place to live despite its relatively meager size as compared to places such as Galbadia. However, what it lacked in quantity of architecture and wealth, it more than made up for in the quality of those very same features. It was a place where nobility and upper-class atmosphere practically radiated from even the most low-standing among citizens, and the refined attitude of the general populace generally seemed to lead to an enhanced style and standard of living for everyone in the small provincial area.

Ruled by the duke Edwin Haroldington, Dollet had enjoyed much prosperity over the time since its separation from the Galbadian region's control, and it showed greatly with just a simple, sparing glance over any section of the city. The last few months in particular had shown a great increase in sea trading for the coastal area, and Dollet's government had put that money to great use rebuilding outdated structures and cleaning up vestiges of disarray and instability in the city's layout.

The street Angel stood upon now was paved in fine stone, a throwback to more rustic and vintage times that still managed to carry an air of the modern about it. He was in the more upper-class area of the fine city, he knew, but he still had great admiration for the lavish surroundings every time he visited. Just across the street, behind a wrought iron fence topped with spear-shaped tips on its posts, laid a large two-story mansion crafted out of some kind of fine, dark wood, the shade roughly a dark brown or ebony hue. Four exquisite and towering windows were set into the front of the house, each of the stained-glass windows stretching nearly from ground to roof and giving the house a shimmering quality in the sunlight, along with the numerous other single-pane windows set into the walls. Architecturally, the house was more modern in its shaping and design, with smoothly-curved sections over the windows, a gently-sloping roof, and a polished exterior, contrasting with some other houses nearby along the same street done in a more historic style. Angel walked calmly across the stone-paved street, seeing very little traffic around the blocks he was currently near, and approached the gate to the lavish mansion.

It was open, the tall arches of the gate's doors swung back into the comparatively tiny yard preceding the house, and Angel's step didn't waver as he walked down the tiled path that led up to the front door of the mansion in peaceful silence. His hand rose as he stepped up to the door, ringing the doorbell set into the wood beside the frame and listening as the echoing chime sounded from inside the house. After a few seconds of silence, footsteps came to the door, and a man wearing a dark suit with a white dress shirt underneath – perfectly tailored and immaculate, Angel noticed – as well as dark shoes answered the door, his neatly-cut blond hair and blue eyes framing a rather boyish face seeming to place the man as in his early-twenties.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Is Miss D'Angelo in, by chance?" Angel spoke, watching as the young man nodded politely, stepping back slightly and gesturing for Angel to enter the house.

"I'll fetch her immediately, sir. Who should I say is calling?"

"Liam Bayloh," Angel responded. The young man gave another curt nod before closing the door and turning, beginning to head upstairs with haste. Angel watched the butler ascend the stairs, admiring the maroon carpeting in the main entranceway, as well as the elaborate and massive pair of curved staircases leading up to the second floor. Several paintings hung along the walls of the room, some depicting what could've been scenes from Dollet's history, others simply modern art in all its different styles – the hostess' tastes were wide and varied, Angel knew, and she had an eye for art that other aficionados often called "finely cultured."

It only took a minute more before Angel saw another figure begin to descend the stairs. Unlike the butler he'd seen earlier, the woman he saw now was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a yellow shirt, the bright color of the shirt seeming to draw even more attention to her long, reddish-orange hair.

"Liam," she began, a warm smile on her youthful face as she walked down the steps leading into the main hall. "It's been a while."

"It has, Maya," Angel responded as the woman crossed the room, embracing him for a few moments before pulling away. "How've you been? Haven't seen you since Locke and I left Dollet a few months ago."

"I've been just fine. Riding took up most of my time for the past few weeks, since I'm training for the upcoming Meadowlands Cup semifinals."

"Congratulations," Angel remarked, earning a bright smile from his friend as she motioned him over towards a sofa and coffee table sitting nearby. "Hate that I missed seeing you run in the first rounds."

"No worries," Maya replied as she sat down, "I know you had your own business to attend to."

"That's actually the reason I'm here," the SeeD stated, also sitting down beside Maya. "I need some answers, and you were the first person that came to mind who I knew could help me find those answers."

"What kind of answers?" Maya asked, now openly curious.

"I suppose 'answers' isn't the right word…more like verification. Something that only an organization like Scientia could give…you understand."

Maya shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her seat, but kept the smile on her face. Scientia was, in most circles and common knowledge, little more than a suspicion in the hearts of many. It was rumored to be an organization with ties all over the world that dealt in knowledge of all kinds – electronic, written, word of mouth, information of any and every form supposedly went into and out of Scientia's hands on a frequent basis.

The thought of such an organization scared many, as it was said that there was no information Scientia couldn't acquire with enough time, but there was next to nothing in the way of evidence that the organization even existed. Such rumors were highly exaggerated by the general public, which was one of the things that kept any real information about Scientia's assumed existence from surfacing.

"I'm not sure I do," Maya said, her smile giving way to confusion. "Scientia doesn't exist."

Now it was Angel's turn to smile. "Then let's run a hypothetical. _If _Scientia _did _exist, then they would be the ones I would be turning to. Which is why I'm here talking to you."

"I don't belong to Scientia. They don't exist – I can't be in an organization that's not real, Liam."

"Of course not. So, shall we get down to business?"

"I don't know how much 'business' we can 'get down to,' as you put it, but I'll see what I can do." The smile was back on her face now, and it was clear to both participants that they each were enjoying the verbal game.

"I'm sure you know all about how Galbadia's in an uproar after their President just died this morning, right?"

"Of course…" Maya said, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, there was a bit of an interesting event yesterday that I heard about which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Deling likes to go out to eat like any normal person – it was one of his more endearing traits to the populace that he didn't keep himself locked in his palace all the time. Normally, he goes out to a trendy little restaurant by the name of Rubedo's. The problem is simple. Yesterday, there were people who saw him go _into _the restaurant and come _out _of the restaurant…but no one actually recalls seeing him _inside _the restaurant around the time he went in."

Maya's brow knitted as she processed the information Angel had given her. "People saw him go in and out, but never saw him inside? How is that possible?"

"I was hoping you had an answer to that question."

"I don't think any of my people know anything more than you just told me," Maya said after a few seconds' thought. Angel just nodded, expecting that answer from his friend, before speaking again.

"Anyone happen to remember seeing a dark-haired woman with veins on her face walking around about that time?"

Maya's confusion grew even deeper at the question. "That's oddly-specific of you."

"Situation calls for oddly-specific, it seems. Did they?"

"I'd have to ask to be sure, but offhand, I don't recall anyone saying anything about someone like that."

Angel sighed lightly, nodding. "I figured as much. Next question, then. The attacks on the Galbadian and Estharian Presidential Palaces happened in a fairly short time frame, and now we have Deling's assassination to deal with. Any idea whether they're all connected – same person, same group, anything like that?"

"This one I do know," Maya answered, having guessed where Angel was going with his question. "None of them are actually connected with each other at all."

"Really?" That was not the response Angel had been expecting to get at all; the time frame was so closely connected that he was almost certain there was a common link.

"Yes. As you already know, Marcus Duran was behind the revolt in Galbadia. That much is as close to a certainty as possible; the Galbadians got him to admit everything soon after SeeD pulled out of the area. However, the attack on the Presidential Palace in Esthar was undertaken by a group calling themselves the Royal Thieves Guild. As far as I've been able to discern, neither have anything to do with the other. The murder of Deling and his wife, also, has no ties to either Duran or the Guild."

"So that was someone or some other group entirely," Angel stated. "Does Galbadia have any leads into that?"

"I'd guess so, but everything's so tightly-wrapped now that my associates can't even begin to think about prying into it yet."

Once again, Angel nodded, deciding as he did so to back up for a moment and ask the other question now on his mind. "That makes sense. Going back just a bit, though, what about this Royal Thieves Guild? What were they after that would make them attack the Presidential Palace to get their hands on it?"

Maya grimaced just enough for Angel to know before she even spoke that whatever she was about to say, it wouldn't be good. "If my source working with Esthar's government is correct, then there were two items taken. An experimental bracelet with properties similar in function to an Odine Bangle…and a Philosopher's Stone."

Angel frowned, the only outward sign of his displeasure. He wasn't much for the Alchemy talents that Trabia Garden taught, but he had learned enough – mostly through Katanas – to know that a Philosopher's Stone was an artifact that did not need to be in the wrong hands…and those of thieves qualified as 'wrong.'

"I also know that they weren't doing this solely for themselves; someone hired them out to do this. Quite the hefty sum of Gil exchanged hands for this endeavor, but whoever it was desired complete and total anonymity. I've not been able to find out yet just who arranged the deal, even with all the resources at my disposal."

"You've already given me more than I hoped for, Maya," Angel replied, waving off the faint tone of dejection in the girl's voice. "I'll need to let Katanas know about this as soon as I can."

"Katanas? Katanas DeValle?" Maya asked, recognizing the name. "He sent you out here?"

"I came on my own," Angel stated, "but I'm sure that he'll find this information just as interesting and useful as I did. And if I know him, he'll have a plan by the time I get back to Garden."

Maya laughed at the comment as Angel stood from the couch, following a moment later as he prepared to leave. "He really is the soldier that I've heard he is, isn't he?"

"One of the best and brightest SeeD has to offer," Angel said, nodding. "Your information is, as always, extremely helpful, my lovely Chief Inquisitor."

Angel was one of a very select few outside of the organization itself that were actually aware that Scientia was not just a myth or a rumor. It had taken him years to pin down evidence of the well-cloaked organization's existence, but the payoff had been well worth his time – having a link to Scientia meant that he had access to information that not even Garden could get their hands on in certain situations, something which gave him a decisive edge in investigations. He was also one of only a few people who were aware that the young Dollet heiress Maya D'Angelo was, in actuality, the head of the most well-connected organization in the world.

The young woman smiled brightly at the compliment, accepting it graciously as she began to follow Angel towards the door of the mansion. "Let me know if I can do anything else to help, Liam."

"You've done more than your share already," Angel began, his face suddenly solemn. "Just be careful, and keep doing what you do best."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything else that might interest you about what we've talked about."

"Thanks. I'll make sure to visit again soon, Maya."

The door swung wide, and Angel walked back out into the morning atmosphere of Dollet, his hand already reaching for the GLD on his belt. The circumstances required decisive action, he thought to himself, but fortunately, decisive action was what SeeD excelled at.

* * *

As I said, I hope to have the finale to this arc written up, if nothing else, by the start of the new year. I'll be going a bit more into Scientia and what they do in the future, but suffice to say that they have a hand (or ear, as the case may be) in just about everything.

As always, please read and review.


	47. I, III, XIV: Dancing Madly, Part I

Well, this is my (semi-late) Christmas present to you, my readers - the first part of the finale to this arc. I should have the second part up sometime at or shortly after New Year's, if all goes well.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter XIV—Dancing Madly, Part I  
_

* * *

[July 4, 2152 | Dollet, Jacinto Street | 9:46 AM]

* * *

"Katanas DeValle speaking."

The SeeD Commander's voice played loud and clear over the small device in Angel's hand as he walked down the Dollet streets, keeping a close watch on his surroundings as he moved.

"I think we've got more trouble than we first thought," Angel said, causing the man on the other end of the line to frown faintly.

"Explain."

"First, let me say that I don't have a bit of proof to back this up, but I think that most of our recent world trouble can be linked in some form or another to Destine."

"That's a bold claim. What makes you so sure of it?"

"Like I said," Angel began, sitting down on a nearby bench, "I don't have any proof to really back it up, but I've got a hunch."

Katanas knew full well that Angel never stated things without proof lightly – he was SeeD, after all, and he was one of the better SeeD that the organization had seen. Just like any SeeD, he tended to go above and beyond in his search for evidence…and Katanas had seen that when he said he had a hunch or a gut feeling, it seemed to be something that he just hadn't found proof for yet.

"I'll keep it in mind. What did you find out in Dollet?"

Angel thought momentarily about asking him how he knew before deciding against it. "Well, it seems that all these attacks on Galbadia and Esthar don't have any common links besides being government…but I'll get back to that in a moment. Speaking of Esthar, when your team was attacked? Those attackers were a group calling themselves the Royal Thieves Guild, and they made off with what amounts to an Odine Bangle and a Philosopher's Stone."

"I heard what was stolen, and I can reliably confirm that Destine is, in fact, behind that much," Katanas replied, causing Angel to nod to himself as part of his suspicions were confirmed. "I did not, however, know that the Royal Thieves Guild had been the ones to carry that out. Destine must have contracted them for the job to keep her own hands clean."

"Any guesses what she'd want them for?" Angel asked.

"We've got little to go on, really, but Ein and I reasoned that she may be using the Stone to increase the power of her followers – she has little need for more power, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Quite," the Vayash Moru muttered, sighing. "Doesn't explain the Odine Bangle, though. Some way to keep everyone in line, perhaps?"

"Possibly," Katanas stated, "though I suspect that it's more than that. I'd like you to return to Garden immediately so that we can begin operational planning on this matter."

"Commander, I'd like to check one more area out before I return, if you don't mind. It has to do with Deling's whereabouts right before his assassination." The pause in the transmission after he finished speaking said volumes to Angel – Katanas was probably deep in thought, weighing options and considerations as he tried to consider all possible situations. The SeeD Commander had a knack for rarely being caught off-guard, always being able to think on his feet and make the best of a bad situation, and any time he spent more than a few seconds in consideration generally meant that he was thinking very carefully about what he would say next.

"…Alright, but please try to hurry. I'd like to begin this meeting within the hour, if possible."

Angel nodded; he considered himself lucky that Katanas placed so much trust in him, as it meant that he had a bit more leeway in certain situations than might otherwise be had. "Don't worry, I'll be there. Bayloh out."

* * *

[July 4, 2152 | Galbadia City, Rubedo's | 9:58 AM]

* * *

Angel stepped out of the restaurant and back onto the Galbadia City streets, the look of frustration on his face clearly visible and evident to any passersby on the street. He'd gone to the restaurant in the hopes that someone would remember seeing Deling, hearing Deling, anything that would confirm the former president and pseudo-dictator's presence at the establishment the previous day. Unfortunately, he'd come up empty-handed, for several reasons – one of which was in plain sight on the door leading inside. A carefully written sign stating "Under New Management" sat in the middle of the upper half of the door, a sign that Angel noticed going in and that he'd hoped was just an indicator of future changes instead of present ones. Those in the restaurant had claimed to see nothing, some because they weren't there, others because they had been too busy in their own affairs to notice or care. Angel got the feeling from several responses that some may have been holding their tongues out of fear; Galbadia wasn't known for being subtle in investigations, and some seemed afraid that any response that suggested they were around would wrongly place blame for the death or involvement therein on their shoulders.

_'Well, so much for that idea,' _Angel thought, irritated that his lead had been so thoroughly killed before it even got off the ground. He sighed, preparing to Planeswalk and head back to Trabia to meet up with Katanas, right before stopping as he caught a flash of black out of the corner of his eye.

"Looking for me?"

The Vayash Moru turned to face the one who had addressed him, wondering all the while if he really had good fortune or if the universe had merely decided to toy with his existence as of late.

"Not particularly," he half-lied, deciding not to give her the satisfaction of feeling as if she was right.

"You're an awful liar," Destine stated, smirking. "Two hundred years of life and you still haven't figured out how to come up with a decent excuse. Disappointing, really."

Angel paused for the briefest of instants before turning and starting to walk off – he had nothing to ask the Pillar, nor any real desire to stay around her after what she'd just done. It was more a symbolic gesture than anything, really; it wasn't as if he had any real way to make her leave. True to form, Destine fell into step right behind him after a moment, moving up beside him as if there was nothing at all wrong between them.

"Aren't you going to stay and chat?" Destine asked. Angel's response was crisp and direct, addressed to her without even facing her.

"Other than ask why you're following me, I've got nothing to say."

"You've been asking about me all around lately – I just wanted to know what I've done to garner your undivided attention," she said innocently, the calm tone of her voice serving only to further irritate Angel after the dead lead minutes ago.

"Bullshit. Why are you _really _following me?"

"Because you're one of the few people I can trust."

Destine's prompt response caused Angel's irritation to momentarily give way to confusion, which turned to a short, almost mocking laugh moments later.

"I'm glad you think you can trust me, but rest assured that the feeling isn't mutual."

The smile that appeared on Destine's face as he finished speaking served to unnerve the Planeswalker more than he really cared to admit. "Despite the fact that Manes and I both attacked you, have I ever lied to you? Did you ever consider that I was testing you?"

Angel was still quite skeptical, but seeing as how he didn't think the Pillar was going to leave anytime soon, he decided to humor her for the time being. "Testing me for…?"

"I've been very concerned about the power structure of the Ethereal Plane," she said, her voice quieter than before. "I think that someone might be trying to unbalance it, and I am trying to uncover who."

Angel laughed again, but there was no humor in it. "Right. So, what are you testing me for?" Destine, in response, looked around briefly before pulling Angel onto a more or less deserted side street, away from the main road they were on moments ago.

"I need to know if I can trust you to help me uncover the face of the power who is threatening Mother."

Angel folded his arms, looking towards Destine with a serious and stern expression across his features. "How do I know you're not trying to trap me?"

"Fayt was involved. I've confirmed it, which is why I had no choice but to assist you in her defeat."

Angel's face didn't waver, but inside, his mind was working furiously. The Pillar seemed sincere enough, but that wasn't nearly enough to convince Angel that she was really telling the truth.

"The safety and security of the Ethereal Plane and mortal plane alike is of top priority," Destine added. "If I don't do something about it, we may not have the opportunity again. You're a Planeswalker under Mother's command; you have the responsibility to assist me if I believe that she is being threatened."

"If you needed help, all you had to do was ask!" Angel growled out, eyes narrowing. "You didn't need to commit so many atrocities here! People died because of what you did!"

"For that, I apologize," Destine replied, closing her eyes. "No one should have died for this. But now, there's precious little time remaining. Please…I can show you all the evidence I have to support what I'm saying. It should be more than enough to convince you, and maybe you know something that I don't."

She turned back towards the streets as Angel watched, still contemplating what she'd said so far. "I need to get back now; Mother's been looking for me for some time. I'll be in the Upper Court if you choose to help me."

Without another word, Destine's figure vanished in a faint spiraling pattern of energy, leaving Angel alone and conflicted in the Galbadia City alleyway. On one hand, he knew this could easily just be another of Destine's tricks, meant to sow more confusion in the ranks, as it were. But on the other hand, if she was actually telling the truth…

Angel bit back a curse as he thought about it. Freya had given him a second chance when no one else would, when he was the _Scourge of Dollet _all those decades ago and tormented the entire dukedom for years on end. She'd seen light in a dark soul, and he had repaid her with tireless decades of service in order to repay the debt that he felt he owed her in light of it. If Destine was speaking truth, he chose not to help, and something happened to Freya because of it, he knew that he would never be able to forgive himself after the fact.

Pulling out his GLD, he sent off a quick message to Katanas, letting him know that he was pursuing another lead. Then, he swallowed, trying to fight off the notion that he was making a terrible mistake as he stepped off of the streets of Galbadia City and onto the Crystal Path.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Destine's Domain]

* * *

The feeling that something was unchangeably, irredeemably _wrong _hit Liam Jacob Bayloh almost as quickly as the waves of paralyzing magical energy did.

A menacing chuckle wafted through the air, Destine's former gentle and caring façade washed away like sand on a beach as she stepped towards the frozen Vayash Moru.

"You should've followed your instincts, Liam," she taunted, circling around him like a shark sizing up its prey. She paused momentarily behind him as something caught her interest, reaching out towards the sheath on his back and carefully drawing the glittering blue blade stored there.

"Such a fine example of craftsmanship…hard to believe that it would be left in the hands of someone like yourself," she commented, turning the blade over in her hands to admire it.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to take others' things without asking?" Angel asked, trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation he was in. Destine simply laughed again, dropping the blade to her side.

"My dear Liam, when have I ever followed popular conventions?" she replied, stepping back around to his front once again. "Those in power make the rules, as it were…and I have the power."

The glittering blue blade sank into flesh, and Angel held back a scream.

* * *

[July 4, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Infirmary | 10:13 AM]

* * *

Being able to walk again, painful though it still is, is like a gift from Freya to me right now. I loathe being bedridden with a passion that I can't put into words.

Having Tetsuya and Yuki stay around to visit _was _rather entertaining, I'll admit.

Besides the figurative slap in the face that was hearing about Deling's assassination, they talked about everything from recent dinner disasters involving Tetsuya and his family to things Yuki learned in some of her magic classes – the latter of which went over my head in a very short time span. Tetsuya and I both have one thing in common, at least, that being that both of us appreciate magic, given how useful and life-saving it can be for SeeDs, but would rather stay far, far away from most of the greater intricacies of the art. My one exception is, in fact, Alchemy, as I've found myself continually fascinated by just how diverse and yet specialized it can be at the same time – once all of this trouble is dealt with, I've sworn to myself that I'm going to throw myself into my Alchemy training with relish.

Even all of the conversation couldn't keep my mind completely off of Destine, though. I distinctly remember her helping us beat Fayt, and now all I can think is that she did it just so she would have less competition or opposition in the long run. She must have been hoping that Fayt would have taken out most of her opponents for her so that she could then step in and take care of Fayt, leaving everything more or less wrapped up in a nice, pretty package for her to deal with at her leisure. The other question on my mind is, oddly enough, why none of us have heard of Freya doing anything to help. That question bothers me even more than what Destine might be hoping to accomplish; Freya obviously has more than enough power to handily deal with the situation, so why hasn't she?

My thoughts are interrupted by the chiming of the GLD at my side, prompting me to pick up and answer the device almost without thinking about it.

"Powell."

"The Commander requests that you come to his office by 1030 hours to attend a mission briefing," the voice on the other end states, which I recognize as belonging to Ein Beoulve.

"I'll be there," I say, before pausing. "Did he say what the mission is dealing with?"

"Not to my knowledge," Ein replies. "Just that you were one of those who needed to be included in the briefing."

"Alright. I'll start heading that way now," I remark, hearing the transmission cut off on the other end a moment later. Whatever's up, it almost _has_ to do with Destine, I figure; I'm not a member of command staff nor particularly high-ranking, and it's the only reason I can come up with as to why I'd be included in a mission briefing.

_'But what's he planning…? Destine's a Pillar of Reality, surely he can't think that we can just walk into the Ethereal Plane and beat her down on our own; we had to have Odin and Xeios help just to be on even footing with Fayt…'_

My mental musings are broken into by the sound of a female voice from behind me, one that I realize that I haven't heard much of in a long time.

"Hi."

I stop in my walking just long enough to let the source of the voice catch up to me, before turning and looking directly into the face of Yuna Kaname.

"Hey. Doing okay?"

"I should be asking you that," she replies with a small smile. "Rikku said that she heard you nearly died out there."

"Reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated," I counter, chuckling lightly as I glance ahead in the hall to make sure I'm not about to run into anyone. "How are they? Rikku and Paine, I mean."

"Good…they're good. They were worried about you…we all were, really."

It's hard for me not to notice that Yuna's tone of voice is nothing like normal, as if she's nervous and jittery about something that she's not telling me.

"Hate that I made you worry…you've got enough on your mind without worrying about me, it looks like. Care to talk about it?" I offer, hoping that there's something I can do to help.

"…What makes you say that?" she asks, almost a bit too quickly, which only serves to make my own worrying increase as to what might be bothering her so.

"Come on, Yuna – I've known you too long now not to notice. You're acting like you acted two years ago when you were still a summoner, all timid and quiet. Something's getting you down, but if you don't want to talk about it, I'm not gonna try and make you."

The former summoner doesn't say anything, causing the pair of us to walk in silence for several tense seconds, dodging students and instructors alike on our way towards the nearest elevator. Finally, she gives a short nod and a strained smile, which I figure is all the admission that I'm going to get right now.

"Looks like this is my stop," I say, nodding over towards the nearby elevator before facing Yuna again. "Hate to leave so soon, but I've got to get to Katanas' office – something about a mission briefing."

"After you just left the infirmary?" she asks, her own seeming dejection replaced by momentary surprise.

"If it's important enough to drag me out of resting after what just happened, it's worth going to. Granted, not like I have much of a choice, but if I did, it would be," I muse jokingly, pressing the button for the third floor and stepping back a bit. There's no immediate response, telling me that the elevator is on its way down. As I wait, I reach over and pull Yuna into a hug, lowering my voice a bit.

"Just…take care of yourself, okay? Rikku and Paine are there for you, you know – go talk to them if something's getting to you. Please?"

"I will, I promise. Just…be careful, Ben."

I let go of Yuna as the elevator doors open behind me, nodding briefly as I step inside.

"Always."

* * *

[July 4, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 10:20 AM]

* * *

_(Play: Battle Ignition – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 1)_

Getting into Katanas' office this time around was simple, as Ein was already waiting to usher me in the moment I arrived. I was momentarily surprised to see that besides Katanas, Ein, and someone else who I'd never met, the room was entirely devoid of people. I didn't expect that at all, even suspecting that this wasn't a normal SeeD briefing…and now I'm really curious as to what Katanas has in store.

"Glad you could make it," Katanas says to me, nodding briefly in my direction.

"Can't ignore a direct summons from the SeeD Commander, sir," I reply, offering a salute that Katanas quickly waves off.

"I have someone you should meet," Katanas says, motioning to the sole person in the room I don't know. "This is Rubedo Alaberti, a close personal friend of mine and a Planeswalker for the Nether Plane."

"Benji Powell," I say, introducing myself and stepping over with an outstretched hand. The boy pauses for a moment before taking the offered hand, shaking it firmly before glancing back at Katanas.

"Benji is one of our SeeD here at Garden, as well as a Planeswalker for the Ethereal Plane – which, incidentally, is why I called him here," Katanas explains, giving me an understanding look.

"So it does relate to Destine, I take it?" I ask, figuring that I may as well venture the educated guess now.

"That it does," Katanas responds, giving a smile with little humor in it. "However, we're still missing someone."

"Who?"

"Instructor Bayloh. I was told that he was going to Galbadia City to investigate a lead, but he hasn't returned," Katanas replies. Walking over to one of the chairs around the room, I sit down, folding my arms across my chest as I do so.

"Not like him to be late to anything, is it?" I ask, to which Katanas shakes his head. "Think he got in trouble with Galbadian police or something? They're probably twitchy now because of all the action."

"It's hard to say. He's not responding to his GLD, however, which is also unlike him."

Despite myself, I can't quite contain the bad feeling that seems to flood my senses at Katanas' words. Garden policy mandates that GLDs are to remain with any on-duty SeeD officers at all times, and must be answered if at all possible. Failing to do that is insubordination, and – from what I hear – usually if not always gets the offender thrown in the brig for some period of time, if not worse.

"Angel wouldn't just ignore his GLD," I say firmly, staring straight at Katanas. "Something's wrong."

"I had that feeling myself, which is why I've already sent someone out. They should let me know if they fi-"

The subtle increase of magic in the air suddenly set my senses on alert, as it seemed to do for everyone else in the room. Quiet footfalls in the direction of the office door caused all eyes to shift in that direction just as the aforementioned door opened, allowing the Pillar of Destiny to languidly walk into the room with a wisp of a smile on her face.

"Hello, and welcome to the scene of the crime."

_(End: Battle Ignition – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 1)_

"Speak of the devil," I remark, eyes narrowing at the sight of the black-clad figure that had a hand in nearly killing me less than a day ago. An uneasy silence seems to move over the room at my words as Destine looks over the four of us, her smile growing a bit wider at the sight.

"I hope you're not bitter, Benji. Business is business; I'm sure you understand that."

I want to say something in return, but Katanas beats me to it before I can open my mouth.

"What business do you have with us, Destine?" he asks, never taking his eyes off of the woman. If anything, her smile turns more eerie as Katanas finishes speaking.

"I'm simply returning a bit of trash that I found which belongs to you," she comments, waving a hand lazily in the air. A large shape suddenly appears in the air in front of her, falling to the ground with a heavy thud…and a moment later, we all realize just what – or rather, _who_ – it is.

"There's a saying that you mortals have," Destine continues, watching as the four of us exchange looks with each other as well as the unmoving body of Angel, tattered clothes and bloody limbs allowing the crimson liquid to slowly seep into the carpeted floor of Katanas' office. "Simple, crude, yet a remarkably fitting statement for many instances throughout history."

"That being?" Katanas prompts, his voice still remaining calm despite the situation. Destine's grin turns positively wicked a moment later, and another flash of magic heralds the appearance of Angel's blade in her hand.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Before our eyes, Destine raises the blade and stabs down into Angel's right arm, opening a fresh wound there before removing it and stabbing down into his other arm, causing the already impressive amount of blood on his body to increase. She pulls it free a second later, dropping the blood-stained blade on top of him as if daring him to try and get back up to fight her. Only the knowledge of how much power Destine still has in the mortal plane and memories of trying to fight Fayt are holding me back from attacking her myself.

"…Sadistic…bitch…" Angel grunts out from his position on the floor, simultaneously relieving me slightly that he's still alive and amazing me that he's still conscious, given the shape he appears to be in.

"I'm flattered, really," Destine replies, sweeping her gaze over all of us. "However, I have no further business with the lot of you. Enjoy your day."

With a final, mocking smile, Destine turns and begins to walk away, vanishing before she even takes three steps. Immediately, the room bursts into action, with Ein and me both rushing over to check on Angel.

"Ein, stabilize Angel and take him to the infirmary immediately. Powell, remain here – this just means that we must act now before any further harm comes to this situation."

Trying to force the anger back down, I turn back to Katanas and nod as Ein helps Angel sit up.

"Katanas…"

The SeeD Commander moves closer to Angel as he hears him speak, and I back away a bit to give Angel and Katanas both some room.

"She's…she's incredibly charismatic. She made me believe…believe that there was something wrong she was trying to correct," Angel says, even as Ein struggles a bit to get him into a standing position, albeit a supported one. "Katanas, I'm sorry. You've never done a thing to make me doubt you, and she made me doubt you, even if it was for a moment. But…I know now. She was trying to make a…spectacle out of me. I got too close; I knew too much; I went too far. She's been behind all of it, all the…things happening in the mortal plane. I don't have the evidence beyond my own body."

Katanas listens patiently as Angel speaks, never looking away, until he finally nods his assent and approval to the Instructor.

"I know. We're going to put an end to this; of that, you have my word. You've done more than your share, and it's time that you took a well-deserved rest. We will handle things from here."

He gestures to Ein as he finishes, who begins to lead Angel out of the room and towards the infirmary with as much haste as the young boy can manage. There's a faint shift in the air as the pair exits, and my hand immediately goes to my blade in fear of any further trouble, but I quickly relax as I see a form that would've been exceedingly welcome two minutes ago.

"Forgive my intrusion; I fear that I was a bit late in my arrival," Will states, the Pillar of the Future's demeanor looking more stern and serious than normal.

"Regretfully, I must agree," Katanas states, his eyes moving from the door and hallway beyond his office to the man in front of him. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Will's eyes slowly move past Rubedo, Katanas, and then myself before he looks Katanas squarely in the eyes, all pretense of casual conversation dropped in an instant.

"I came to help."

* * *

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter; each piece was done completely out of order, and so I had to do quite a bit of going back and reworking details to make sure everything was correct. Next up is the second part and, likely, the last chapter of this arc, and so I'll be doing my very best to make it a good one. To all my readers, have a very happy New Year's, and please read and review!


	48. I, III, XV: Dancing Madly, Part II

Suffice to say, all did not, in fact, go well. In retrospect, I should've known not to jinx myself like that, because it set off a chain of distractions as well as an entire week where I was sick enough to nearly be bedridden for around half of it. I finally put myself to the test, and finished most of the rest of this chapter in two days because I wanted to see it done. Thusly...

Begin!  
_

* * *

_

_Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery_

_Chapter XV—Dancing Madly, Part II_

_

* * *

_

[July 4, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 10:29 AM]

* * *

"Came to help, you say?" Katanas asks, looking decidedly curious underneath his outwardly serious demeanor. "Lady Freya instructed that you take action against Destine yourself?"

"No," Will says, shaking his head lightly, "Mother knows not of my actions here. I am doing this of my own accord because I did not intervene earlier when I had the chance. It is a mistake that must be rectified."

I almost want to question the Pillar of Foretelling further, but thoughts of Ein removing Angel from the room forestalls any questions that might want to pass my lips.

"However, I'll need your help to do it, Benji."

What with the expression I'm sure is crossing my face right now, I can only hope that the rest of the room's denizens can forgive me for looking like an idiot.

"…My help?"

"That's correct. I believe it would reflect…favorably, to say the least, upon your skill if you were to assist me in stopping my sister."

"Not to sound rude or anything," I start, momentarily wondering what kind of logic the Pillar is using to come to the conclusion he seems to be at, "but if we're going to be in the Ethereal Plane, how am I supposed to be of any help against someone who could squash me like a bug? I couldn't do anything against Fayt, and Destine's just as powerful, if not more, right?"

Will smiles at my words, a gesture which seems to hold equal parts amusement and…regret? I can't quite read the Pillar's expression fully, but that's almost what it seems like to me.

"Correct. However, making up for that relative deficiency shall be my job."

"What are you getting at?" I ask, suddenly feeling like I'm missing out on a hidden joke that everyone else already understands.

"The art of junctioning that you use here is known to us Erudite entities as well. My offer is this – if you aid me in stopping Destine's plan, I will give you the power that you need to do so."

That does cause my eyes to widen, and just for a moment, I wonder if Destine has somehow mind-controlled Will or the like so she can lure me into _another _trap. My eyes turn to Katanas momentarily, who seems to notice my obvious confusion and slight suspicion.

"Desperate times?" he asks Will, who offers a hint of a smile towards the SeeD Commander.

"In a sense."

"Why?"

My question is quick, almost enough so to not be noticed, but I don't stop there.

"Why go against Destine? She's your sister in some sense, right? Why not just let Lady Freya handle this, and trust her to set Destine straight instead of going through this kind of a risk?"

The earlier smile that Will held seems to return, and this time I'm sure of it – there's more than a hint of pain in his eyes as he looks over towards me.

"My sister's idea is…flawed. I know what she is trying to accomplish, and I cannot stand by and watch her go through with it. It's…"

He stops, every pair of eyes in the room looking over the Pillar of Foretelling as he seems to fumble for the right words to say.

"…It's my responsibility."

Will's words strike more than a bit of a chord with me as I listen. I know all too well what it's like to try and keep someone close to you from doing something they will regret, and how much you feel like you could've helped if you'd only acted sooner once they actually go through with it. Katanas, too, looks like he truly understands why Will wants to do this, and Rubedo…well, I can't really read Rubedo's face very well, but it seems like he at least realizes, even if he doesn't sympathize.

"Alright," I say, catching both Will and Katanas' attention again. "You want my help, you've got it. Just tell me what to do."

"Just relax, and open your mind. Destine is already moving against the Palace of Creation as we speak, so we shall have to move quickly."

Obligingly, I take a deep breath, trying to push all the conflicting thoughts and emotions away as I clasp my hands together in front of me. My eyes close, but even with them shut, I can notice the faint glow that seems to be coming from in front of me as Will readies himself. The glow brightens substantially for a brief moment before fading away entirely, and a tingling sensation, like when a part of your body falls asleep, runs over my entire body for a second before it also fades. There's an instant of silence before I finally feel the vague presence of something other than Shiva inside my mind, along with one of the stranger feelings I've been privy to over the course of my adventures. For all the power that I'm certain Will possesses, the feeling that I'm getting now is not what I expected at all. It feels decidedly…_normal_, if I had to describe it, along with an undercurrent of something that I can't quite place, a feeling tugging at me that says something should be there but isn't, or at least isn't detectable by my own senses. It's strangely conflicting, really – like I know that something's different now, but at the same time I feel so normal that it almost doesn't matter.

Quietly, I turn my hand over, looking at it almost as if I expect it to grow scales or something similar for a moment, before clenching it into a fist. I've got something to do, and it's time to see it done. A glint of light out of the corner of my eye catches my attention as I move, and I suddenly notice that in all the rush to get Angel to the infirmary, they neglected to pay equal attention to his blade – a blade which is still resting on the floor of Katanas' office. My stomach twists again even as I move to pick it up, flashing back to the sight of Destine stabbing Angel with it, and a sliver of anger rushes through my mind as I take the azure-colored blade in hand.

"It's only fitting…" I say to myself, looking over the still-bloody blade. "He'd want to help, and this way, he can."

_"Justice, or vengeance?" _I hear Will ask from the depths of my mind, though lacking the disdain I'd normally expect from such a question.

_'I wish I could say I don't hate Destine for what she's done, but…I don't think I can say that. Don't get me wrong, I want revenge, for Angel especially, but for everyone and everything she's hurt by doing this, too. But…it's not my place to judge her. That's Lady Freya's job, not mine – I just have to stop her.' _

"Wish me luck," I say, nodding to Katanas. He holds out a hand for a moment, gesturing for me to wait, as he looks towards Rubedo.

"Make sure that he has no…outside interference, if you would."

"I'll keep the rabble distracted, don't worry," Rubedo comments, looking back towards me. "Might be a good workout."

"Then consider this a sanctioned operation by Trabia Garden," Katanas says. "Good luck."

"I'm SeeD. We get the job done. We always do," I reply with a smile as both Rubedo and I disappear from the room, intent on bringing down the Pillar of Destiny.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Palace of Creation]

* * *

_(Play: Compression of Time (Destine's Theme) – Stephen Kennedy, Project Majestic Mix Gold)_

"Stay frosty."

Those are the first two words I hear as Rubedo and I reappear in the courtyard of the Palace of Creation – the first thing I notice, likewise, is the sight of his hands becoming alight with magical flame, apparently some sort of magical enchantment. Both of us are alert immediately, scanning the area for any sign of our targets, but it would seem we don't have to look far.

Looking directly back at us from the opposite side of the courtyard are Destine and Manes, with not a single Erudite guard in sight. The cause for that, we realize, is probably the noise that we can hear coming from the open front doors of the palace itself, the sounds of combat filtering back out into the expansive courtyard from within.

"The prodigal son returns," Destine says mockingly, stepping forward to greet us with arms spread wide in some parody of a happy greeting. "You Planeswalkers just can't keep from sticking your noses where they don't belong, even when the plane in question is none of your concern, it seems," she continues, directing a rather pointed look at Rubedo. Rubedo did little more than raise his eyebrows, watching Destine and Manes warily as we also approach, making sure to keep some distance between us.

"I'd like to ask you to stop this, Destine," I say, deciding to at least try negotiating first. "Will…your brother knows that you shouldn't be doing this, that it'll only wind up going badly for you in the end. You don't have anything to gain from this – you can just stop now, and quit before things get worse."

Destine simply laughs in response, the sound mixing in with the still-echoing sounds of battle from inside as she leers back at me from opposite the two of us.

"Nothing to gain? Why, I have everything to gain – far more than you realize, in fact."

_'She's not going to listen to reason, you know,' _I think, hoping that I can communicate with Will as easily as he seems to be doing to me.

_"I…thought as much."_

Outwardly, I sigh, trying to keep up the appearance of confidence – I'm not nearly as confident as I feel, given that the last time I was facing one of the Pillars I may as well have not been present, for all the good it did.

_'You really think I can do this?'_

_"I have the utmost faith in your abilities," _Will responds. Some part of me wants to laugh, honestly.

_'Good, because I don't at this moment in time.'_

"I see…" Destine's voice brings me out of my thoughts again, and I notice that she seems to be staring at me a little _too _intently, as if she's just realized something and is now trying to rationalize this in her mind. "You didn't come alone, did you, Benji? And I don't mean the interloper over there, either."

"Of course not," I say, smiling faintly and resting Angel's Atma Weapon on my shoulder. "I always come prepared."

"Will…you're too afraid to fight me, hm?" she says, her smile widening just a bit more – decidedly not the reaction I had anticipated, in all honesty. "Of course you are. You tell everyone that you're non-violent, but that's just an excuse – the truth of the matter is that you're _absolutely scared shitless_ because you're afraid you're gonna get hurt, that you're gonna fail." The more she speaks, the more her smile turns into some twisted mix of a sneer and a smirk, but I don't give an inch in the face of her words; doing so now would show weakness, and that's not something I can afford right now.

"Of course, that's because you _are _going to get hurt and fail, regardless of how much you think this little mortal boy can change that fact otherwise. Talk about telling the future. I think that'll be pretty hard to live with, knowing that you got an innocent mortal killed because you didn't have the guts to do your own dirty work…why don't you just let me go ahead and kill you now, spare you all that misery, hm?"

"He knows why he's doing this, same as me," I reply simply. "Words won't change that now. You can give up right now, or we can _make you_."

My attempt at a threat, unfortunately, only causes Destine to laugh again. "Make me? Looks like the little Planeswalker finally grew a spine! Just who are you to think you can possibly stop _me?_"

For a moment, I seriously consider Destine's question – after everything I've done, just _who am I? _I'm a SeeD, I'm a Planeswalker, but more than that…what do I really consider myself when all that is cast aside? I've always tried to fight to protect, and even back home, I considered myself a protector to the closest person I had to a younger sister, a sort of…

_'Guardian angel…'_

All at once, I smile, feeling my confidence return to me as the answer to Destine's question becomes as clear to me as the light of day. "You want to know who I am?" I ask, taking the Atma Weapon off my shoulder and pointing it as Destine as I draw one of my two blades from its sheath with my left hand.

"I'm the Angel of Light, and I _will _stop you here, by any means necessary."

_(End: Compression of Time (Destine's Theme) – Stephen Kennedy, Project Majestic Mix Gold; Play: Final Fantasy 6 Dancing Madly Second Form OC Remix (Destine's Battle Theme) – waxingeloquent, OverClocked Remix)_

In the next moment, I'm leaping at Destine, blades flashing in front of me to meet a thick spray of magical energy that seems to _flow _from her fingers, the magic not so much cast as flicked from her fingers like droplets of water. The energy isn't aligned with any elemental force, but it's searing just the same to me, even through my surprise that the fragments of the magical burst didn't kill me outright after touching me. I don't stop, however, and the realization that I'm still alive leads me to another such realization – namely, that of the power that I can now feel just under the surface of my control, perfectly restrained and tempered but flowing through my body all the same.

_'Time to see what I can do…'_

A quick thrust bounces off of a warding shield that springs up around Destine, and Lightning-elemental magic leaps from her fingers and past me as I jump back, shifting left to let the magic pass before my right arm snaps left again, slicing back out to the right as I turn the failed thrust into a cut that also bounces away. Realizing the futility of hammering away at a Protect spell – especially of this level – with simple strikes, I start to charge my blade with energy, stepping back again before slicing out and unleashing the energy wave building there.

Instead of the controlled energy wave of reasonable size that I'm used to, what I get instead is a much-larger wave that seems to spill out of the blade far more than intended, washing over Destine in a surprising outburst of magical energy that actually hides her from view for a brief moment.

_'…Okay, perhaps a little more finesse next time,' _I think to myself, taking the opportunity to get a bit more distance from the Pillar of Destiny. Hopefully, I can keep myself within fairly close range but still give myself a bit more of a chance to see any retaliation coming. When the energy and dust clear away, I can see not only Destine still standing smugly behind her barrier, but the sight of rather ugly-looking gashes in both the ground leading up to and behind Destine, but also in the palace itself behind her. Destine turns away for a moment, looking at the carved ground and the large gash in the building, before turning back and nodding towards me, almost respectfully.

The smirk that grows over her face a moment later erases all traces of "respect" from that idea.

"Alright. _Let's play hardball._"

* * *

Some distance away from the beginnings of a fight between Planeswalker and Pillar which promised pain and suffering for interlopers, Rubedo Alaberti stood and faced a being he'd already faced once before, firmly believing that the universe most assuredly had a sense of irony, or at the least, humor.

That idea, it seemed, was mirrored quite well on the face of the Daiesthai across from him, along with the sneering look he'd come to associate with the demon since the first moments of their first meeting.

"One lonely mortal. One…single…_insignificant_ mortal being," Manes muttered, his voice still loud enough for Rubedo to hear as he stood nearby, every fiber of his body seeming to be stiff with barely-constrained anger. "One would think that someone such as myself would have no trouble squashing such a fragile little _insect_…but you're different, aren't you?"

The only answer he got was a slight tilt of Rubedo's head, the very gesture seeming to say nothing more than "get on with it," which only inflamed his irritation.

"Guess it's all the better this time," Manes commented, one hand dropping to the sword at his waist and yanking it out as his face shifted into a frigid, calculating smile, "that this plane doesn't hold me back like that insipid mortal plane does."

"Are you quite done?" Rubedo asked, his infuriatingly calm expression never wavering in the slightest.

"On the contrary, I'm only just beginning," Manes remarked, raising the sword high as if he was going to stab Rubedo at any moment, his form slouching slightly like a predator ready to pounce.

"Consume…Freza Amarga."

Wind and energy rushed up around Manes the moment he finished speaking, a bright yellow shine covering his body and causing Rubedo to shield his eyes until the light died down some. As it did, he caught a glimpse of Manes within the cyclone of power, and the tiniest of frowns crossed his face as it dissipated completely, leaving the Daiesthai revealed fully for the Planeswalker to see. Instead of his white coat, the demon was now covered nearly head to toe in what looked like some kind of segmented white armor, almost like opaque chitin, that stretched from his shoulders down to his feet. Along his wrists, two thick pieces of the same material had risen up and curved, lengthening out past his hands themselves like some sort of claws or pincers. His sword had also completely vanished, nowhere to be seen on his form or in his hands.

Rubedo arched his eyebrows in mild surprise, a gesture which earned another leer from the Arrancar before him. "Confused? Afraid? I suppose I'll explain before I tear you to shreds with this power. We Arrancar are a bit…_different_ than those mindless, blithering Daiesthai that roam the Nether Plane. Each of us possesses more intelligence and far more power, as well as a means to control that power – by locking it within our weapons. At any time, we can restore ourselves to that level of power in an act called Resurrección."

"And you're telling me this…why?" Rubedo asked.

"So that you can lament your lack of intelligence in your last, excruciatingly painful minutes of life," Manes remarked, enjoying the rush of power as the air around seemed to grow thicker and almost suffocating in its essence. The spiky-haired Planeswalker simply responded by settling back into nearly the same stance he'd taken during their last fight, once he'd stopped analyzing the demon's abilities and begun to fight seriously, as well as allowing a small smile to cross his face.

"Well, that would certainly be appreciated, but unfortunately…it's all old news to me."

_(Play: Riddles in the Dark (Morlia Gallery) (Rubedo's Theme) – Red Tailed Fox, Xaleph; OverClocked Remix: Summoning of Spirits)_

A roiling ball of fire burst forward from Manes' hand, accompanied by the appearance of familiar, triangular glyphs of a deep blue color around Rubedo's upper body even as the Planeswalker moved. Rubedo simply dashed around the attack, sprinting directly at Manes with his fist cocked back for a punch to smash the Arrancar's face in…

Right before it was stopped by a pair of pincer-like hands, neither of which belonged to Manes. He stopped, being forced to turn aside a wicked slash from the scything hands as he backed off again, noticing as he did so what was in front of him. Before Manes stood a being which looked like a cross between a human and a praying mantis, standing on two long, spindly legs attached to a small torso and long arms ending in razor-sharp pincers, as well as a wide, mantis-like head.

"You didn't think that all this form gave me was more _power_, did you?" Manes questioned, arrogance filling his voice as he looked towards Rubedo. The mantis-like being stepped back as he spoke, returning to Manes' side.

"Might've ventured a guess," Rubedo said offhandedly, looking warily at the creature beside Manes. The demon cackled, watching as the creature beside him moved away, taking up a flanking position nearby Rubedo.

"Then allow me to show you."

His _Sonido_ flashed, and suddenly he was before Rubedo, the sharp edge of one of the blades on his forearms lashing out towards Rubedo's face. Rubedo's left arm snapped up to deflect, the other hand lancing out in a jab that missed Manes' nose by inches as he moved aside. Rubedo spun an instant later, forearm batting down a lunging strike by the creature as his leg rose, delivering a snapping kick that flung it aside and allowed him to turn back towards Manes. Another series of hexes fell over him, green spiraling shapes, and magical energy burned his body as the prior hexing spell took effect in a painful way. Manes flung his arm out to his side suddenly, and Rubedo tensed, awaiting an attack that seemed not to come…until he watched, fascinated, as energy flowed around Manes' arm and out from his body. The energy shifted and stretched until it had formed a vaguely-human shape before shattering outward with a tiny flash, revealing an identical copy of the creature he'd just kicked away.

"You're skilled in single combat, true…but just how many opponents can you effectively fight at once…" Manes' grin turned predatory, and lightning flickered around his hand for an instant, the motion enough for Rubedo to see and begin to evade. No attack came once again, and Rubedo stopped moving, setting his feet again and preparing to counterattack the failed spell.

Pain lanced into him from behind before he could react, the flux in power felt but not responded to quickly enough as electrical power arced through his body painfully. Grunting, he turned, only to see faint wisps of smoke drifting away from the hands of the mantis creature he'd kicked away before.

"…when you don't know where the next attack will come from?" Manes finished, looking smug and already assured of his victory.

* * *

A chunk of rock soars by my head as I duck, only to dive away as the ground moves underneath me, aiming to pitch me up into another flying piece of ground that Destine's ripped loose from the courtyard. Even as I land, I'm focusing energy into my blade, a forceful slice tearing apart and dissipating the scything current of wind aimed my way. Knives appear in my hand as my sword drops, and they crackle with electricity as I send them skyward, the enchanted blades raining down on Destine like tiny thunderbolts falling to the earth. They deflect off of the _Protect _spell that's still around her, and dispelling magic flows over my fingers again, ripping into the shield and practically tearing it away as I leap forward once more. The Atma Weapon tears a strip of fabric from her clothing even as I'm sent flying away on an orb of energy, the power eating at me painfully before I manage to free myself, dropping back to the ground in a crouch.

_'Tricky…and painful,' _I whisper mentally, flinching at the burning feeling that's dancing across my chest. My mail armor has already been quite battered, with links missing in several places and others simply _melted _into blobs of useless metal from Fire-element magic. If not for Will's help, I'd have already been roasted alive several different times now – getting used to using his power correctly is an exercise in trial and error that I'd rather not be playing while fighting for my life.

_"Destine's overconfidence will get the better of her eventually. She believes that she can keep you at range forever, using her powers to simply wear you into submission," _Will comments. I sigh, casting another curative spell that eases the pain in my chest a little.

_'Well, she's doing a pretty good job of it so far,' _I reply, another burst of energy from the Atma Weapon slicing apart yet another piece of debris on a collision course with my face. A _Haste _spell flares up around me, my body striking out much faster than before, and another group of hastily-alchemized knives nearly meets their target, Destine's _Protect _spell just barely causing them to ricochet away. By that time, I'm standing in front of the barrier, and my momentum shifts into a spin as Angel's blade flips horizontally, a circular wave of power passing through the shield and catching Destine in the chest. She hurtles away, knocked from her feet by the power, but her awkward fall is arrested suddenly as she thrusts one hand behind her, then the other hand at me. A nearly-invisible wave of force sends me into a mirror of Destine's own uncontrolled fall before I realize what's happening, and a loud 'crack' is accompanied by a flash of agony up my back, sense knocked from me momentarily by the pain. Some sort of ceramic material and stone clatters to the ground around me, pieces of the courtyard fountain that I hazily realize Destine threw me into as I slump down to the ground, trying to regain my focus before the Pillar decides to launch another barrage at me.

The water falling on my head helps somewhat in that respect, but not much.

"Even with Will's power, you're nothing but a mortal. A mortal who, apparently, would need a couple hundred years of practice before they can think of taking on someone like me. Shame that you mortals don't live anywhere near that long. Face it – you lost this fight the moment you started it."

"So…you're willing to betray your brother, your own _mother _for the sake of power?" I ask, trying to buy some time to get back on my feet.

"This isn't about the power – you should be seeing right now that I have plenty of that. No, this is about something different…it's about having the freedom to do what I choose, to not have to bend over backward for every one of _Mother's _whims, no matter how absurd or ill-conceived."

The Atma Weapon stabs into the cracked ground of the courtyard for a moment as I stand back up, taking the blade back out and somewhat-shakily retaking my stance with a look of irritation on my face.

"That's it? You're doing all this because you don't want to follow Lady Freya around anymore?"

"Listen to yourself – 'Lady Freya' this, 'betrayal' that…you don't have any idea what you're talking about. That self-righteous trash won't get you anywhere with me, mortal. I gave up on all that a long, long time ago."

"Really? Because you're just acting like a brat who's throwing a tantrum because they can't handle responsibility to me," I comment, momentarily taking satisfaction in the look of raw, uninhibited _fury _that crosses Destine's face.

_"Are you sure you should be provoking her?"_

_'Well, there's a way of looking at this that says 'absolutely,' and then–'_

My thought is cut off as I leap out of the way, right before a large burst of Ice-elemental magic both shatters the remaining upright pieces of the fountain and creates an instant and twisted ice sculpture out of the rest of the water there.

_'…and then there's the way of looking at this that says I'm doing a very dumb thing,' _I finish, quickly scrambling back to my feet in time to see a mass of raw energy surging around Destine. _'I'm hoping she'll make a mistake I can use, assuming I don't die first – hoping my luck holds out to see this moronic risk through for once.'_

"You have _no knowledge _of _anything _that happened back then!" Destine screams, some of the energy lancing out at me in bolts of pure power that, luckily for me, go wild. "You didn't have to hear just what she did through someone else, because she didn't have the _guts_ to tell you herself!"

_"So, that _is_ why…"_

I don't have time to question Will's comment, as the feel of another energy buildup under me forces me to move once more. That winds up being the only thing that keeps me from being roasted as a fountain of fire erupts from beneath where I was just standing, Destine's _Flare _spell melting the ground into a puddle of ceramic and earthen slag. Destine's words, all of a sudden, aren't making any sense to me, and I can't help but get the feeling that making her angry was almost certainly _not_ a good idea.

* * *

Wisps of energy floated away from the shattered form of one of Manes' summoned creatures as Rubedo caught his breath, looking over the Arrancar and his set of still-standing summons. Four more of the mantis creatures stood nearby, each scattered at different points between himself and Manes, and he was loathe to admit that the demon was using his abilities to a frustratingly sound extent. His reflexes had been tested to their limits with six simultaneous avenues of attack open to the Daiesthai, and he already bore bleeding slices and angry red burn marks from the magical hexes and variety of elemental spells that Manes and his makeshift squad had been hurling at him.

"Come on – that's all you've got?" Rubedo taunted, grinning despite the pain. This was certainly more of a worthy fight than the last time, he knew, and he was actually glad to see the Daiesthai putting up so much more of a fight.

"Tough talk from someone who hasn't landed a single hit on me yet," Manes countered. Rubedo's smile stayed in place despite the jeering, and he leapt forward again, fist smashing out to meet one of the summoned creatures head-on – literally. He shoved it away, its face crushed inward by the blow, before pivoting and snatching the arm of another by the wrist as it tried to attack. A quick twist snapped its wrist like a twig right before he pulled it in towards him, letting it take the brunt of the _Firaga _spell which flew in from Manes himself, and a claw raked across his back painfully as he shoved its burnt husk aside, spinning to face the new attacker. Another hex fell over him, more black, star-like symbols, but he paid it no mind, lunging forward in an attack on Manes directly now that there was only one minion in his way.

He jerked suddenly to the right, watching with pleasure as the channeled _Demi _spell engulfed the minion he'd been running at, crushing it to the ground with the gravitational power and leaving him a wide-open shot at the puppet master.

"Smile."

Lines of yellow energy suddenly streamed from the air towards Manes' outstretched hand, and a loud whine erupted as he released the _Cero _directly into the approaching form of Rubedo, cutting off his forward momentum entirely and engulfing him in the beam of burning power. Energy flowed from Manes again, forming into another of the mantis creatures as Rubedo worked his way back to a kneeling position, now sporting a nasty-looking burn across part of his face.

"You may as well give up," Manes cackled, his two minions regrouping at his side. "I'll be sure to make it as quick and painful as I possibly can."

"Funny…story," Rubedo grunted, standing back up and setting his feet once again. "I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself." Manes' face darkened as Rubedo's power flared again, a red aura like crackling flames beginning to cover the whole of his body. After a few seconds, his entire body was wreathed in twisting flames, the enchanted fire not harming him in the least, and he chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"You think you have it all figured out, don't you? That you're going to kill me, and then gang up on him, right?" Rubedo gestured over towards where Destine and Ben were still fighting, still looking at Manes with the same satisfied smile. "Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're going to have to do better than this to put me down. Just ask some of the Espada sometime…if you make it out of this, that is."

"…You're bluffing." He had to be, Manes surmised. He was only just keeping up with his Resurrección form – there was no way this kid had enough power to think about challenging even the lowest of the Espada.

"Am I?" Rubedo's grin grew wider, and he stepped towards Manes, fire licking his every movement and leaving black marks on the ground where he walked. "Let's find out, then."

The dark-red energy of _Haste _burst around his form, and he vanished as he took another step forward, his abilities as a Planeswalker carrying him out of the plane and back in to reappear directly before Manes, foot launching upwards in a snapping kick that sent Manes tumbling despite his presence of mind to shield himself from the blow. The two minions beside him immediately turned, pincer-like hands snapping out to tear into Rubedo, but his form blurred again, snatching one by the arm and swinging it around to take the full brunt of the other's attack, impaling it on its partner's own claw. The second that the uninjured mantis spent dislodging itself from the body of its comrade served to seal its own fate as a mighty blast of fire erupted from Rubedo's fingers, engulfing them both in searing flame that hurled them away as a single, burning heap. An orb of yellow energy – a _Bala _blast from the Arrancar – struck his upper body in retaliation, but the flaming aura lessened the blow enough where it did little more than surprise and stun him for a second.

A black wave of energy split the air, rushing towards Rubedo with crushing force, and Rubedo Planeswalked again to shift around the attack before closing the distance between himself and the Arrancar. Fist met Manes' bladed forearm in a clash that left the Daiesthai's arm trembling, and he sliced into Rubedo's side just before the Planeswalker's knee came up in a thunderous blow that smashed into Manes' chest, dazing him and leaving a burnt mark on his white, chitin-like plating. Stunned as he was, he could only watch as Rubedo cocked a fist back before slamming it into the ground, a circular globe of magical fire erupting around them and burning at his body as the ground splintered under the force of the blow. The sound of static echoed as Manes' _Sonido _carried him away, followed by a flurry of _Bala _blasts that Rubedo took in stride, throwing his arms in front of his face to shield him from the attacks. He didn't follow Manes immediately, letting his body recover briefly from all the exertion and pain. For all the excitement and enjoyment he'd been getting out of the fight so far, he'd taken a good amount of punishment too, with scattered burn marks and bruises from the force of Manes' magical attacks as well as numerous cuts and gashes from both Manes' bladed arms and the claws of his minions. Manes looked comparatively injured – Rubedo had gotten in several good shots earlier, and pieces of his white armor were dented and cracked, with a particularly noticeable bit of damage having come from Rubedo's knee moments beforehand. Rubedo was also convinced that the Arrancar had to be running out of energy, given how many hexes and spells he'd been slinging around the field, not to mention the numerous minions he'd created to aid him, but he didn't want to make a hasty assumption just because of that.

Manes gestured again, this time at the ground, and the earth in front of him cracked and split violently, as if charges had been set beneath it in a line towards Rubedo. The Planeswalker's fist shimmered with power as he saw a chance to strike, and he leapt towards the splitting earth, rearing back for a strike as a large piece of earth leapt up towards his face. His fist powered forward, and the piece of flying rock shattered into a cloud of dust and debris, shielding him from sight and obscuring a large portion of the area before Manes. The Daiesthai reacted immediately, realizing what Rubedo was attempting to do, and his arm came up to block just as Rubedo's hand snaked out towards his throat. He smirked momentarily, before Rubedo's fist closed around the sharpened spike extending from his forearm. In a quick twist, Rubedo had snapped the spike in half, and his arm pumped again, driving the spike into Manes' chest in a quick motion that caused blood to spurt from the wound. The Arrancar howled in pain, right before being silenced as Rubedo's foot arced into his face, the snapping kick rocking his head violently to one side. Another kick to the stomach followed, cracking the plating there and folding Manes over in agony as the wound in his chest protested the sudden, violent movement, and his world was turned upside-down as Rubedo's left foot thundered into his face again, hurling him away and onto the ruined ground of the courtyard in agony. Light shimmered around him as the white armor on his form melted away, coalescing back into the form of his yellow-hilted blade moments later, and he let out a single low groan before lapsing into unconsciousness.

_(End: Riddles in the Dark (Morlia Gallery) (Rubedo's Theme) – Red Tailed Fox, Xaleph; OverClocked Remix: Summoning of Spirits)_

Rubedo breathed a sigh of relief, the bruises on his chest immediately complaining loudly at the action as he let himself sink down to sit on the ground. He looked over, momentarily wondering how Ben was faring, only to see Destine's hand pointing out towards where he was even as she deflected a barrage of knives from the Blade Knight. Expecting another attack, he readied his already-tired body to move, but stopped as he saw energy gathering around Manes' fallen body in his peripheral vision. He watched, curious, as Manes' body slowly disappeared, consumed by the energy, and wondered what Destine had done.

"Wonder if I should help…" he muttered, watching as Ben delivered another furious slash to Destine that failed to penetrate her barrier, only to evade a torrent of water that poured from her hands. "…Need to rest, first. He's got Will helping, he'll be fine…probably."

Quietly, he stood up again, starting to move to a more out-of-the-way vantage to rest and observe so as not to get caught in the crossfire. His immediate job was done for now, but a Planeswalker's work was never truly finished.

* * *

Shards of broken stone scrape painfully against my back as I slide across the ground, propelled by a gust of wind from the Pillar in front of me. Blinking to clear my watery vision again, I slowly start dragging myself back to my feet, raising Angel's blade in front of me once more. Even with Will's help, I'm starting to wear myself out, and I can only imagine that I look like I've been run over by a herd of stampeding Chocobos. To my credit, Destine's looking a little beaten-up herself; there's a series of rips and slices in her clothing from where my blades' strikes have gotten through due to her lessened abilities at melee range, and even a nice wound in one shoulder where I got lucky with a _Blizzaga _spell.

_"Can you keep going?" _Will asks, sounding a little worried. Wiping away the sweat from my eyes, I nod, more to myself than anything.

_'I can, but…I can't keep doing this. I need to get in close; I can't do much out here like this, since she just blocks all the knives I throw at her. Too much time to see them coming.'_

_"Have you tried using the Crystal Path?"_

A searing ray of Holy-elemental energy rockets past my body as I shift to the right, kicking off a piece of upturned ground and leaping up into the air before lancing out at Destine with a _Thundaga_, the lightning bolt slicing a line into the ground before bouncing off Destine's _Shell_, flying up into the air and dissipating again as I come back down.

_'…Actually, no. Won't she just feel my movements coming, since it's magical movement?'_

_"Planeswalkers alone use the Path; other entities are not as attuned to it. With all the magic around, it may cloud your movements enough to work," _Will says.

Dispelling magic flows out from my fingers once more as I move to engage, Destine's magical barriers melting yet again as the Atma Weapon splits the air towards her body. To my surprise, she weaves out of the path of the blade, and her hand moves towards my chest, her palm making contact with my body before a _Fire _spell blows me away from point-blank range, sending me tumbling back to lay aside the broken, icy remains of the courtyard's fountain with a burning chest and what feels like a splitting headache. The remnants of my chain mail were broken not too long ago, with the discarded mail looking more like a half-melted blob of metal rather than any kind of armor.

_'…Worth a shot…' _I respond wearily, left hand dropping the sword to instinctively grip the side of my head in pain. The telltale feel of curative magic suddenly flows over my body, surprising me, and I spare a glance around only to realize that Rubedo seems to have managed to take down Manes; the curative spell had to have come from him, because no one else is around.

"You can't last, mortal. Just walk away, and maybe I'll let you live a bit longer while I finish up my business here," Destine calls, magic still playing around her fingers from the last spell.

"Can't…do that," I say, picking my second blade up again and leaning on it for a moment as I stand up again. "I gave my word to your brother that I'd…be the one to stop you." A circle of pink diamonds flashes around me for a moment as I cast the _Triple _magic on myself, letting Rubedo's curative spell push aside some of the pain and exhaustion as I start to prepare my counterattack.

"I will not go back on my word."

_(End: Final Fantasy 6 Dancing Madly Second Form OC Remix (Destine's Battle Theme) – waxingeloquent, OverClocked Remix; Play: Go The Distance (I'll Go) – Sixto Sounds, OverClocked Remix: Summoning of Spirits)_

Destine's face darkens, and energy starts building around the Pillar of Destiny's form as I begin casting defensive spells on myself. _Shell, Haste, _and _Regen _magic surround my body briefly before vanishing, and I start to move only to hear a loud 'crack' in front of me. As I watch, momentarily stunned by the sheer power and – frankly – _audacity _of it, one of the large doors at the front of the Palace of Creation suddenly tears free of its frame and pivots, hovering in the air before Destine for an instant before rocketing at me. My eyes widen in surprise, and I just manage to Planeswalk away before the door transits through the space I had been occupying a moment ago, crushing the ice sculpture formed by Destine's earlier destruction of the fountain into nothing more than shards of ice, water, and stone.

For a moment, I can't even manage to continue my attack, instead glancing back at the new pile of rubble and then towards Destine's standing form again.

_'Did she really just throw a Hyne-damned _door _at me?'_

"Move!"

Rubedo's voice snaps me out of my surprise in time to slice apart another shard of ice headed my way, and I crouch low into another brief dash before disappearing again. Apparently, Will's idea has some merit to it, because Destine is noticeably surprised when I come out of a Planeswalk directly beside her and slice upward, tearing a wound across the back of her left arm. Her other hand shoots up, already preparing to blast me with another magical attack, and so I simply lower my blades and leap forward, smashing into the Pillar with my own body and throwing her off-balance enough to stop her casting outright. She stumbles back, balance lost for the moment, and I stumble a bit myself before bringing my right foot across in a sweeping kick that crashes into her side, nearly throwing her completely off her feet. I start to close in again, hoping to press the momentary advantage, when Destine's fist connects solidly with my jaw, freezing cold cutting across my face along with the pain and rocking me back again. Getting my bearings again, I notice swirling, light-blue energy around her hands, some sort of Ice-elemental enchantment.

Making sure to be a little more careful this time, I move to the attack again, slicing out rapidly with my left-hand blade only to have Destine knock it further aside before launching a bolt of ice that lashes out at me, but deflects off of the _Shell _around me. I quickly stab out with the Atma Weapon, only to have Destine twist to avoid the glittering blade. As she recovers, however, I flip the blade in my hand so that the edge is pointing back at her and pull it back, slicing into her side as I snatch it back towards me. She flinches in pain, fingers twitching to perform another close-range spell, but I Planeswalk away again to reappear behind her. She can't fully turn before I reappear, and I quickly channel all the power I can manage into the Atma Weapon, letting my other sword fall to the ground in order to grip the blade with two hands. The moment she finishes turning, I bring the blade down in the strongest slash I can muster, and watch in satisfaction as the energy pours from the shimmering blade and sends Destine hurtling back towards the palace in uncontrolled flight. I can feel the magic wearing off of my body now, and I don't waste any time hurtling after Destine through the resulting smoke and haze of energy from my attack, finding her leaning rather shakily against the wall – the attack must've done more than I thought. Seizing the chance, I close once again to point-blank range, trying not to fall even as I run on shaking legs. Her hand rises again to cast a spell, but I use my own free hand to pin it back against the wall, and the Atma Weapon goes to her throat before she can make another attempt to strike me.

"_Stand down._"

_(End: Go The Distance (I'll Go) – Sixto Sounds, OverClocked Remix: Summoning of Spirits)_

The sudden silence in the air is altogether too tense for my liking, and it's all I can do to ignore the shaking in my hands as I hold Angel's blade up. Destine doesn't move, but also doesn't give any indication that she's going to give up, instead simply standing and staring at me face-to-face.

"I said it once – stand down, Destine," I repeat, giving her the most intimidating look I can muster. The look on her face doesn't waver, but a sudden sound from nearby gets the attention of both of us. Carefully, I step to the right, keeping the blade poised and one eye on her while I scan what I can see of the surroundings with the other, only to find the sight of a body that was not there a moment ago. It had to have come from inside the palace, I reason…and not of its own will, either. The sight that crosses my vision next is truly a sight for sore eyes, more so than I've felt in a long time.

Lady Freya herself walks out of the broken front doors of the Palace of Creation, magical energy still receding from her fingers and apparently placing her as the one who'd attacked the flying figure.

"Do as he says, Destine," she intones, Destine's eyes narrowing at the sight of the Creator.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" she asks, venom in her voice. "I'm not standing down, so you might as well."

My body finally seems to decide that it doesn't want to support itself any longer, and I feel my legs give way under me against my will, my blade dropping along with my body. Destine's left arm suddenly shoots up, almost even with my face, and malice etches itself across her features as magic gathers at her fingertips. I close my eyes, expecting more searing pain, but it never comes…and after a few seconds, I open my eyes to figure out why.

Standing beside Destine is Will, now unjunctioned from my body, with Destine's arm in a firm grip and a stern expression on his face.

"It's over," he says quietly, shaking his head. Freya nods quietly, remaining remarkably calm despite the circumstances as she approaches us.

"Lord Odin and Lord Xeios defeated the majority of your followers within the palace. Those who were not beaten have fled. You have caused a great deal of suffering, Destine, but it is finished."

Freya's hand raises in a familiar gesture, and Destine stiffens under Will's grasp as power is drawn from her body against her will. After several seconds, the energy sinks back into Freya's body, leaving Destine looking remarkably tired, yet still defiant, and the Creator nods, satisfied.

"Your powers as a Pillar of Reality are removed until I deem fit to return them. Return to your domain until I call for you again."

The tone of Freya's voice leaves me somewhat taken aback – she seems angry, though it's a quiet anger, which leaves me feeling even more uneasy than I would if Freya were simply yelling right now.

"Yes, _Mother_," Destine says, all but spitting the word at Freya before ripping her arm from Will's grasp. With a final, withering look at me, she vanishes, leaving me to breathe a sigh of relief that it's finally over and slump back to lie on the ground, exhausted. Will turns, shaking his head at Destine's actions before reaching a hand down to me to help me up. After a few more seconds of lying on the ground, I take the hand, painfully moving back to my feet but having to get Will to help keep me standing – my legs still feel like they won't keep me up if I stand on my own.

"Impressive," Will says, the single word saying all that really needs to be said.

"…Thanks," I manage to say, the adrenaline starting to wear off and leave me feeling even worse than I already did. "In hindsight…taunting the person with vast magical powers was dumb. Always works in the movies, though…"

"It would appear that your courage is without question this time," Freya says with a smile. "Well done, Sir Powell."

"Thank you, milady," I reply, giving the best approximation of a bow that I can manage in my position. "I made a promise to Will…I couldn't just go back on that."

"You took my words from before to heart, it seems. I am proud to have you as one of my chosen."

All I can do is nod at Freya's words – I feel like I've redeemed myself, and that makes all the pain worth it, in a way.

"Will, please see to it that he and his companion recover. I have matters to attend to," Freya continues, looking towards the Pillar of the Future. Will simply nods in response, and Freya turns on her heel silently, beginning to return to the palace.

"Hate that so much of this got ruined," I mutter, looking around the courtyard slowly and taking in all the damage. Will merely shrugs, beginning to walk over towards Rubedo with me in tow.

"It can all be repaired. This is a small price to pay for what was gained," he says. "For now, you need to rest – you've earned it."

"Rest is good," I agree, stumbling over a small rock as we walk. "But, you know something? I was right after all."

"Oh?"

The smile that crosses my face as Will glances over is probably the widest smile I've had in a long time, for any reason.

"We _always _get the job done."

* * *

Shew. That was..._lengthy. _The longest chapter I've written for this story, or any other, actually.

This chapter was also the hardest for me to write, for many reasons. The premise alone was one of them - how can I make this good and believable, while at the same time not go overboard? I felt like I was skirting a fine line the entire time I was writing this, and I can only hope that I erred more towards the former rather than the latter. Second, along those same lines, was the sheer difficulty of writing a fight on this type of scale. Destine is incredibly powerful, even as Ethereal beings go, and she revels in using that power. Often, she doesn't even bother casting a spell, per se, she just throws magic in its most basic form at you. This is also why she delighted in throwing objects around - it's simple and yet brutally effective if the right objects get used. The third issue was focusing on two different fights at once. I tried to give equal attention and care to each fight, as I wanted to really make sure that everything flowed as well as I could write it. Despite all the delays and all the issues I had writing it, I still enjoyed it immensely.

The next chapter will be more of an interlude chapter than anything - much shorter than this, as I tie up a loose end or two from this arc and set things up for the future. Until then, I hope you enjoyed, and please read and review.


	49. Interlude I: Signs of Change

This chapter took more time than I would've liked to get out, but my co-authors and I spent a good amount of time considering events to come and changing things in accordance with our thoughts. This is the first "interlude" chapter you'll see between arcs, though almost certainly not the last. Also, if you haven't read Daniel Wesley Rydell's story _Family Rites_, it's a good idea to do so in order to make one of the scenes here make more sense.

Begin!

* * *

_Interlude I__—__Signs of Change_

* * *

[July 5, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Training Center | 3:19 PM]

* * *

Alchemic light starts to fade away from my hands as I finish my transmutation, the circle on the back of my right hand losing its shine as the energy recedes. The sight of a line of sharp spikes of ice extending from the ground in front of me makes me smile, right before a _Fire _spell from my left hand melts them into nothing but water that starts seeping into the ground. Not for the first time, I take a careful look at the small circle embroidered onto the skin of my hand, fascinated by the design and the purpose of the object. Alchemy in general seems to fascinate me, and I haven't quite been able to get myself to fully settle on a reason why it does. The skill involved, the effects Alchemy can have, how mundane and yet exotic it seems – all are things I've considered, yet none of them are in any way solely responsible for my rapidly-growing love of the art. I think it's a shame that I hadn't had more time to practice using it, especially the aspect I'm practicing now, before I'd gone to fight Destine.

Also not for the first time, I'm finding myself wondering why nearly dying twice in the same number of days past seems to have made me so thoughtful. I usually don't consider my own feelings with deep thought; I like to think that I know myself and why I do things well enough that I don't second-guess myself any more. I've also been chided more times than I can count that I keep my feelings bottled up so much that I'm like a time bomb waiting to explode, so perhaps this is just another thing that I'm terribly wrong about.

Giving up on the thoughts, I let my hand drop back towards my side before pulling up the bottom of my white shirt again to take a look at the place where my stomach had healed. I'd finally taken the bandages off when I woke up this morning, having slept most of the rest of the previous day after coming back from the Ethereal Plane. I'd joked to Angel once he'd woken up that I was already getting tired of spending more time in a bed than on my feet, but I can't say I'd regretted it yesterday. Even after having Will help heal me enough where I was certain that I wasn't going to die until I came back to Garden to have someone look at me, I'd felt like going to sleep and not waking up for a week. I was rather surprised when I woke up again to realize I'd slept for around fifteen hours, far more than I'd ever slept before even at my sickest or most exhausted. Of course, I'd never been physically exhausted, mentally drained, and battered with magical attacks designed to kill any given mortal before.

Seeing the scar tracing my stomach now is a bit disconcerting, given that I'd never been scarred to any real extent before even during my travels in Spira. The place where Manes slashed me was bad enough that even magical healing didn't erase the mark completely, leaving a long white line tinged with ugly red flesh in spots stretching across the better part of my abdomen horizontally. All the healing I'd ever done or received before left only the faintest of lines or marks on occasion, often removing practically any trace of injury to all but the most well-trained eyes. However, I seem to have gotten one good thing out of it – I've once again found my drive to improve. Daiesthai opponent or not, it was _embarrassing_ for me to be caught off-guard the way I was, and even more so, to be cut down in a single strike after everything I've been through, and seeing that scar for the first time this morning filled me with the desire to make sure it never happened again.

It's the reason why I've been practicing with my Alchemy for the past two hours. I've just recently really begun to learn how to use elemental-based Alchemy, and my fondness for the art combined with that desire to throw away weakness has made me throw myself into practice and study with a fervor that I was beginning to think I'd lost. In some strange way, I guess I should be glad that things have gone the way they have, if only for that reason.

* * *

[July 5, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafeteria | 3:20 PM]

* * *

"Yo, Naoki!"

The dark-haired SeeD officer looked up from his conversation with his companion as Tetsuya's voice carried over the immediate area's general loudness and multitude of conversations, seeing the younger SeeD and his sister approaching the table where they were sitting.

"Tetsuya. How's the day been?" Naoki asked as Tetsuya took one of the chairs at the table, with Yuki sliding into one beside Sumiko a moment later.

"Same old stuff, boring class, the usual," he commented, shrugging. "You?"

"Sumiko and I were discussing some things from my Symbology class today," Naoki replied.

"So, stuff way over my head. Got it," Tetsuya said with a grin, leaning back in the chair. "Nothing weird happening?"

"Not that we've seen," Sumiko replied, glancing over at Tetsuya. "Why do you ask?"

"Just seems like there's been a lot of strange stuff happening around here lately, you know? That lockdown about two weeks ago, things like that. Andréa's been on edge every time I've talked to her, and it ain't like her."

"She's changed, you know," Yuki remarked, also looking over towards her brother. "Maybe not changed…I think she just grew up. You haven't seen her in years, you know."

"You're worried about her?"

Tetsuya's head turned towards Sumiko quickly enough that it almost looked uncomfortable to the other two residents of the table. "Well, yeah…Yuki's right, it _has _been a long time since we talked, but things just don't feel right around here. Kinda like in the movies, where the boss is really planning to experiment on all the people working for him, and he's just waiting to find the right time to spring the trap!"

"I think you've seen a few too _many_ movies," Yuki sighed. Naoki chuckled – he hadn't known Tetsuya for very long, nor could he really claim the SeeD was anything more than an acquaintance, but he'd already come to see and get used to his lighthearted personality.

"I think your sister might be right," he added, despite the smile on his face. "You can't really think that the Headmaster rebuilt Garden just to have a number of people on hand to use as test subjects."

"Course not," Tetsuya replied. "I was just giving an example, that's all – you know what I mean!"

"Do we?" Sumiko asked, a bit of a half-smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

The older Kurabasa sighed, his chair scraping across the tiled floor of the cafeteria as he shifted his weight on it. "Now you're just making fun of me."

"Guilty," Sumiko admitted, finally letting the smile cross her face.

"Being serious for a moment, it's been on my mind for about a week now, even more so after yesterday…I just wanted to see if anyone else was picking up on that kind of vibe, or if I was just imagining things."

"You're talking about Bayloh-_sensei_ and Ben-_san_, aren't you?" Yuki ventured, deciding to hazard a guess on what her brother seemed to be implying. While Yuki wasn't Estharian by birth, living in the city for as long as she could remember, as well as being exposed to the formal business environment, had left her adopting the honorific style of speaking of others that the Estharian language held. It seemed to fit well with her soft-spoken personality; Tetsuya, by contrast, rarely ever used it unless it was business-related in some form, with the occasional exception.

Tetsuya nodded in assent, and Naoki's gaze shifted between the brother and sister pair. "I'd heard something had happened with the two of them, and that Ben had been placed in the infirmary, but by the time I did, he was already out," Naoki said, his eyes finally resting on Tetsuya.

"We saw him just before he got out, when they started showing all that news about Deling getting offed in Galbadia," Tetsuya responded, nodding. "Didn't say what happened, but I got the impression it wasn't anything good."

"If he was in the infirmary, of course not," Sumiko remarked.

"More than _usual_, Sumiko. We're SeeD – we do crazy stuff on a daily basis, as long as the pay's good. But, this seemed like more than that, like something went wrong that they didn't expect," he continued, a twinge of annoyance finding its way into his voice. "And it's hard to find something a SeeD doesn't expect."

"Did you ask?"

"No…it just didn't feel right, you know? Too soon to bring it up, and all that."

"We would have, but he's right. It didn't seem polite to ask him what happened while he was still recovering from whatever did happen," Yuki added, nodding.

"Is that why you went to talk to Andréa?" Naoki cut in, finding himself rewarded with a barely-perceptible wince that flashed across Tetsuya's face.

"Well…yeah, sort of. She's the squad leader, so I thought she might know something, but either she didn't, or did and wasn't gonna tell me about it."

"Really, _onii-chan_…can't you just wait and ask him yourself once he's ready to talk about it, if you want to know so badly?" Yuki chided, the frail-looking girl seeming to act more like the older sibling than her brother.

"Okay, fine, I screwed up – happy? Don't have to bite my head off about it…" Tetsuya muttered, momentarily throwing up his hands in exasperation before slouching back down to the tabletop. "But you all would be curious too if you'd seen Instructor Bayloh yesterday."

"Was something wrong with him?" Naoki asked. "I had heard that we would be having a different instructor this week for the class I have with him."

"Not 'was.' You guys ever seen him injured – I mean, really injured, past a few scratches or bruises from hands-on training around here?" A chorus of heads shaking in disagreement followed Tetsuya's query, and he seemed to sit a bit more upright as he went on. "Well, yesterday, I caught a glimpse of him being taken to the infirmary, and _Ein _had to help him stay upright as they were walking. He seriously looked like someone had just…I dunno, run him over with a car a couple times or something. All torn up and bloody, cut-up clothing, the whole nine yards. You'd think he'd gotten himself on the wrong side of one of those Estharian gangs or something!"

Yuki's eyes widened – her brother had talked to her earlier in the week about some of what he'd said now, but she hadn't heard him mention this yet, likely because of how recent it was.

"That's…horrible…!" Yuki finally managed to say, her voice lowering as she spoke.

"Ben's got some skill, yeah, but he's still just an Ensign. Bayloh is an _Instructor_. You can't tell me that that doesn't sit right with you."

Naoki knew what Tetsuya was implying, but didn't want to jump to any unfounded conclusions just yet. Instructors in Trabia Garden earned their licenses similarly to how the process worked in the other two Gardens, with one additional requirement – no matter how skilled, the candidate had to be of at least the rank of Major, a fairly high ranking in the general structure of SeeD. Only one rank outside of the command staff existed above Major, the rank of Colonel, which meant that Instructors were among the very top of SeeD's population in terms of skill, having been through a great number of field missions in addition to extensive training for their instructional exam proper.

"What makes you so certain that this is the result of the command staff hiding something from us? Missions go wrong all the time, and you and I both know that Instructor Bayloh still participates in difficult missions – he's mentioned it several times in class. Perhaps this particular mission simply went more awry than usual."

"Come on, Naoki – are you still saying that you don't think Katanas DeValle is hiding something from the rest of Garden?" Tetsuya insisted, looking almost imploringly at his fellow SeeD.

"Tetsuya is correct."

Sumiko's sudden statement caused Tetsuya to blink stupidly and turn towards the girl, unsure that he'd actually heard her correctly.

"You agree with me?"

"Yes, _but_…" she began, cutting Tetsuya off before he could find the urge to gloat, "…not for the reason you might think. Katanas DeValle is the SeeD Commander of this Garden. Think for just a moment about everything he deals with on a daily, even hourly, basis. If he made a point of informing the greater part of Garden about any piece of information he knew or ran across which was relevant or important, he would spend all his time sending out messages and information instead of getting any actual _work_ done. It's a balance, Tetsuya – he keeps things from the majority of Garden staff because theydon't _need_ to know in order to get their work done, not because he feels it needs to be hidden."

Naoki smiled as the look on Tetsuya's face dulled significantly. Logical and direct – Sumiko was nothing if not both, though she made efforts to not come across as rude or uncaring in the process.

"I…" Tetsuya floundered for a moment, before finally sighing. "Alright, you win. You're probably right, anyway…"

"We're not saying that you need to accept everything without question or ignore everything, Tetsuya," Naoki added, "just that you're thinking a little too hard about this. Like I said, it could be nothing – merely a mission gone wrong, for the both of them."

"I never thought I would meet anyone who could put Tetsuya in his place like that," Yuki said, giggling and looking at Sumiko.

"We've both had practice with Uriko, trust me," Sumiko replied, smiling.

"I can imagine, knowing her," Tetsuya muttered, giving a look around the table. "Anyone else hungry? I know I could go for some food right now."

"Maybe the source of your paranoia is really your stomach," Naoki suggested, causing Yuki to giggle and Tetsuya to simply roll his eyes. "But, yes, I am a bit hungry myself." Yuki and Sumiko also chimed in with their agreement, and Tetsuya stood from his chair.

"Alright, I'll see what's on the menu today. Maybe something edible for a change…" he said, getting another round of laughs from the table's occupants as he left to check out the options for the day. The cafeteria occupants had seemed to remain blissfully unaware of their conversation, and…perhaps that wasn't always a bad thing, he realized. Sometimes, he thought to himself, it really might be all for the greater good.

* * *

[July 5, 2152 | Centra, Kramer Orphanage | 3:19 PM]

* * *

She was angry, to say the least.

She'd known, of course, that Freya would eventually find out what she was doing. She'd known that if she was caught, she'd suffer the consequences. Stripping her of her powers as a Pillar of Reality was, in all honesty, the best outcome for the situation she could've hoped for. She could have just as easily been nothing more than a figurative smear on the porcelain floors of the Palace of Creation…but, somehow, the Creator had seen it fit to release her with nothing more than that, onto the same plane which she'd wished to sow chaos upon.

Something about the action screamed "insult" in her mind, like she was being pitied as nothing more than a broken opponent or a discarded toy, allowed to roam freely because she could do no further harm. So, she was avoiding all contact with anyone, Ethereal or otherwise, made easy by the fact that she was hiding in an old Centran ruin. No one visited the Centra continent any more, not since the Lunar Cry that shattered the land into an archipelago of lifeless rock. The ruin she inhabited now had once been an old orphanage, but years of neglect and exposure to the weather had worn away the hardy stone that composed the structure, eroding away the stone in places and leaving it desolate and lifeless. No one had seen it fit to disturb her, even though she knew that at least the other Pillars undoubtedly could sense her location innately, and even though she'd gotten her revenge on the Powell kid, it wasn't helping her mood much at all. She glanced around the outside of the structure whose stone steps she was currently sitting on, noticing a broken and weathered stone pillar along the path leading down to the beach that once likely stood tall and proud outside the building, before obliterating it in a spark of rage with a burst of energy, its mere state of being offending her for being far too similar to her own situation.

"You will all be sorry for this…" she growled to the air, letting out her rage where no one could see or hear.

Except, she knew, someone could, or could _now._

The familiar and interesting feel of spiritual energy nearby led her to know who was standing in the doorway long before she even turned to look with her eyes. She knew she couldn't harm him. Even before Freya stripped her powers as a Pillar, he was stronger than she, and even Fayt understood on an innate level that Will was not to be crossed or trifled with despite his pacifistic nature and amiable demeanor. Without a word, she put forth her best face – or rather, her best angry grimace – and finally turned to look at the face of her 'brother.' Will, unsurprisingly to her, ignored the look, instead simply walking from his spot at the top of the set of winding steps and sitting down beside her on the cold stone steps of the orphanage, an act which did surprise her somewhat. Warily, she watched him unflinchingly, seconds passing like minutes as the silence between the two Erudite persisted. Will's eyes were locked on the ocean beyond, seeming to watch the waves, but he finally sighed as Destine's wary stare continued, speaking without taking his eyes off the water.

"How long will you persist in glaring at me?" he asked quietly. "Your eyes cannot pierce holes in me, as much as you seem to think they can." Destine's look continued for but a second longer before she, too, sighed and looked down towards the beach below them.

"What do you want, Will?" she asked, a tinge of anger lacing her voice. "Gonna gloat? Chew me out? If you are, can we assume that it worked, I'm suitably chastised, and be on our merry ways?"

Will said nothing, letting the tense silence fall back into place like a curtain let loose, which only worked to further irritate Destine. Her 'brother' was infuriating by his mere existence, and his presence was the last thing she needed or wanted right now. Finally, he looked at her for the first time since his arrival, his face serene and straight.

"What do I have to gloat about, Destine? Do you think I have the authority or the desire to pass judgment on you, beyond what Mother already has? Do you think it made me happy to have to allow the Planeswalker to defeat you as he did and not be able to lift a finger to assist you, _mei-mei?_"

Will's name for her momentarily broke through the thin haze of anger she seemed to wear like a cloak, bringing back memories…a name he'd not used since…

She threw the thoughts aside, shaking her head physically to dismiss his statement just as she did the same to her own thoughts.

"Well, you didn't seem disappointed, to say the least, dipshit."

"Your plans had to be stopped," Will said with a sigh, discarding Destine's insult. "You weren't acting in the best interests of any of the planes…" He stopped briefly, gazing once again out towards the ocean beyond them. "…Or yourself. It was easier to have the Planeswalker do it, rather than someone such as Byakuya Kuchiki, who had his eye on destroying you before you did any more damage or decided to interfere with the affairs of his own plane."

Destine's laugh was not the response Will expected to receive, but it was the one that he did receive, momentarily startling him with the volume and starkness of it. "Yeah, you always did think I gave a damn," she started, standing up from the step and turning away from Will. "You don't realize, and you _never_ have. The reason the last war happened, the reason there's still mutterings calling for _Mother's _head." She whirled back on Will suddenly, the Pillar of the Future neither acknowledging the gesture, nor turning back to her. "She can't do it – she's too lenient, too careful! She sits up there on her throne, only stepping down when she's got no choice, when she's not too scared to run and hide! She's not worthy to be a leader of _mortals_, much less gods and goddesses or an entire plane of existence! She's a failure, and it won't be long before _he_ notices!"

Despite all her words, all her angry sentiments and pent-up rage, Will paid it no heed as his eyes fell to the ground, his head shaking sadly as his 'sister' finished her tirade.

"And you wanted her to kill you, didn't you."

Will's tone was final; there was no question at all left in the words, just cold fact. Destine just growled in response – she didn't want any of his "high and mighty" act today. She made to say something, but his voice cut her off before any words left her mouth.

"You never cared. This was never about the Plane, never about pleasing the factions, or uniting them, or anything along those lines. This was never about you taking her position of power, or destroying the mortal plane. You knew she would catch you, and you were hoping to find some solace from the pain you've dealt with for three hundred years. You hoped to find solace from it in the only way you thought you had left, and that's complete obliteration by the being that created you. You never wanted a better life from this, Destine…you wanted death."

The former Pillar of Destiny closed her eyes, ignoring the stinging sensation that pricked them as she did. It was dust from the stones, she reasoned; the Pillar of Foretelling was being his usual self, and she could care less right now. And that wasn't a tear that hit the dirt and stone below her feet, either.

"This was your attempt at assisted suicide, wasn't it?"

He suddenly leapt from his place on the stone stairway as a high-powered blast of fiery magic scorched the place he was sitting, landing neatly on one of the lower steps as he turned to face Destine.

"Stop talking!" she screamed, her face contorted in rage even as tears started running down her face. "Just stop it!"

A blast of lightning followed the fire, aimed at Will's new position, but the Pillar of Foretelling merely vanished from his place and reappeared behind her, causing her to spin to face him again and sending more tears falling to the ground.

"Death is a coping mechanism, isn't it? You've tried so many other ways; why not try the ultimate solution – the final ultimatum?"

She screamed in rage again, spells flying from her fingers in a furious spray, all aimed at destroying her 'brother,' the one saying things which were hitting far too close to home. Each spell was evaded almost carelessly by Will, his form flickering in and out of the plane every time a bolt of magic grew near. He reappeared as the barrage slackened again, only to see Destine whirl on the worn pillar which had been paired with the one she'd destroyed earlier, lifting it with nothing more than her force of thought and sending it soaring through the air towards him. It narrowly swept past him as he turned aside, and she resumed throwing spells of all types and elements at the Pillar of Foretelling, none of her spells, incantations, and high-tier magical abilities seemingly able to faze the stoic Erudite.

The tears falling from her eyes were so numerous that she could barely see.

_(Play: Soundscape to Ardor – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

"Why…why won't you just shut up?" she raged, magical energy still flying from her hands like rain falling from the sky. "Damn it, just leave me be!"

Will's silent look never wavered even as his form did, his body flowing around each and every one of Destine's enraged castings with fluid grace. Neither truly knew how long Destine kept up her fury-filled attack, but she finally fell to her knees on the ground, openly sobbing in front of the one person she'd never intended to let see her this way.

"…Why wouldn't she…why wouldn't she kill me?" she asked, her voice choked with tears as she looked back up at the Pillar of Foretelling. "Will, k-kill me, please!"

Will slowly walked over to Destine, his face finally beginning to show emotion now that Destine's rage seemed to be subsiding. He knelt down beside the former Pillar of Destiny, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.

"I won't ever do that to you."

She suddenly pushed up, Will's statement refueling the anger that had filled her before as he fell to the ground. She lashed out furiously with her fists, hammering the fallen Pillar with blows fueled by grief-filled rage, all that was emotionally left inside her. She didn't speak, didn't bother with words; only sharp screams of pain and anger came from her mouth as she battered Will's grounded form with strikes. Finally, after a particularly strong punch, she screamed again, the shout echoing across the empty beach and out over the land.

"I hate you! I hate you so much! _Just kill me!_"

As if a switch had been flipped inside her, sapping away all of her energy in a single gesture, Destine collapsed back to the ground beside Will in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably now without regard for who saw her. Will sat up again as she did, quietly moving over beside her and beginning to keep a silent vigil until she was ready to speak once again. Seconds became minutes, and Will found himself consoling Destine as she cried openly into his shirt, his 'sister' allowing him for the first time in centuries to resume the "big brother" role he seemed to be so accustomed to.

"…I'm…sorry," Destine choked out, her words strained and voice hoarse as she tried to voice everything in words that had wanted to come out ever since her plotting had begun.

"She knows," Will replied, a warm smile crossing his face. "She knew from the beginning. She never blamed you for any of it, and she fought so hard to make sure you could be happy. She would not tell you herself, of course, but…I think you are her favorite."

Destine looked up, shocked by Will's words.

"But, you –"

Will's chuckle cut Destine's statement off before she could finish. "I'm the obedient son. You, however, are much more like her than I could ever be. You are the free spirit, and you've always been unafraid of what anyone thinks of you, even her. She loves us all equally…but you are still her favorite."

_(End: Soundscape to Ardor – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

Destine's head fell again, still stained with tears, but she managed to smile upon hearing Will's words. "Why…are you here, Will?" she asked, her voice no longer cracking but still quiet.

"You needed me, _mei-mei_," he responded, the smile never wavering. "And there's something else, something I want you to do for me." He paused for a moment, shaking his head suddenly. "No, I want you to do it for _you._"

Destine looked up again curiously, but said nothing, allowing Will to continue.

"You still have the power to Planeswalk, and I have made sure you have the permission to do so. A…friend in the world of Terranigma has told me of events there, and I would like you to go and watch them unfold."

Destine's eyes narrowed, not in malice, but in confusion – she didn't understand why her brother was asking this of her.

"…Why?"

"If what I've heard is correct, it seems that someone is there that someone in your position might be able to relate to…maybe even let you learn about yourself merely through observation."

Destine closed her eyes…Will's words weren't making sense to her, but she knew that Will always had the best intentions in mind, even if it didn't always seem that way.

"Alright. Will you…tell Mother?" she asked, seeming to not feel up to facing Freya so soon after everything she'd done. Will simply laughed in reply.

"Mother already cleared your way. Come back when you are ready, _mei-mei._"

The former Pillar started to stand up, her 'brother' following a moment behind her, and she threw her arms around Will again as they got to their feet. He nodded lightly to her as she turned away, her body vanishing as she crossed the barrier between realms, and then smiled.

"…I think Mother will understand in the long run, once I explain it to her."

His body faded away in an orb of white light moments later, headed back to the Ethereal Plane to speak with Freya himself about what he had just done. He'd told her before that he would help Destine, if she would be so kind as to allow him some leeway in that action. Indeed, she had, with the explicit order that he simply explained himself and his actions once he was finished.

Somehow, he had a feeling that the deity would approve of what he'd done.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]

* * *

There were very few things, she found, she'd truly expected death to contain. Not a whole lot, really – some black surroundings, screaming voices, maybe even being trapped somewhere. Revival magic had its limits, and she'd never been one to intentionally test those limits. Kitaras Nicholai could say with certainty, however, that she'd not expected to be greeted by a fairly good-looking gentleman in thick armor who called himself Odin.

That wasn't _quite _possible, she'd reasoned, seeing as how Odin was said to be the god of war, heralding great battles and glorious conflicts with his appearances and occasionally even showing favor to one side, changing the tide of history for whoever happened to be lucky enough to prove themselves worthy of his aid. And there was also no possibly way he'd be greeting her in the afterlife, either, seeing as how things like the afterlife and deities in general didn't exist; they were just myths, legends, stories told by people who'd had a few too many drinks while jotting down historical records or just felt like playing a joke on the rest of the world. Nonetheless, she'd humored him, allowing him to escort her through this new land, this "Ethereal Plane," as he'd called it before. He'd mentioned someone named Freya wished to speak with her, but she had no idea who that was – myths had never mentioned her, at least – or why someone would wish to speak with a dead person, barring the impossibility of the act she'd considered at first thought.

_'Can't hurt…not like I'm getting any deader,' _Kitaras thought to herself, now past the confusion that had arisen when she found she could, in fact, think at all while dead. He'd been escorting her for some time now, having only just arrived at the massive and grand palace she was now walking through…and secretly, she was glad he was here. She didn't know how long they'd walked, through places that seemed no different than those she'd seen in the world while alive, but these other beings unnerved her, like there was something inherently wrong with her presence. She'd caught several of them giving her open glares and dirty looks, even though she was sure of the fact that she'd done nothing to deserve them, not to mention that she didn't recognize any of them at all.

_'Wait…Silver Dragon,' _she mused to herself. _'Scratch that. Maybe I have.'_

Kitaras snapped out of her thoughts in time to see their arrival at a large pair of gleaming, pearl-white doors, each door flanked by a heavily-armored guard carrying a tall, thick-hilted spear in a gauntleted hand. Odin calmly stepped up to the pair of doors, rapping his metal-covered knuckles against one of the doors strongly and causing the sound to echo down the hallway.

"Milady, I've brought her, as you requested."

The doors in front of them suddenly swung open, revealing to Kitaras a large and lavishly-decorated room beyond, full of paintings, sculptures, and ornate furnishings, as well as an exquisite, shining silver throne near the back of the room with a figure seated upon it.

"Thank you, Lord Odin," the blond-haired, green-clad woman atop the throne responded, her voice soft and yet commanding. "Please, enter, Lady Nicholai."

Kitaras swallowed somewhat nervously, but began to walk forward. She was unused to the feeling she was getting now; the woman in front of her seemed to have a presence about her that defied words, a power that she could feel all around her without even trying to focus upon it. The doors closed behind her as she entered, leaving her alone in the room with the seated figure, and she swallowed again, unsure of what to do or say. After several tense seconds, she decided on the simplest course of action she could think of.

"Hey."

The Creator stood from her throne with a smile, eyes set upon the person before her.

"Welcome to the Ethereal Plane, Kitaras Nicholai," Freya said politely. "You are wondering why I have brought you here, are you not?"

Kitaras nodded, still unsure of what to make of everything. "I suppose…" she said hesitantly, looking around the room for a moment. "How do you know who I am? Am I dead? Who are you?" she asked, the questions coming out rapidly and all at once.

"I am Freya Syr Vanadis, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane," Freya answered, patiently beginning to address each of the woman's questions in turn. "It is my responsibility to uphold the peace and stability of this plane of existence. My knowledge of who you are…will be explained in due time." There was a note of hesitance in her voice, but it was gone quickly as she continued to speak. "At this moment, yes, you are deceased; however, that is the reason I have brought you here. I bear an offer for you, though I will gladly answer any questions you have presently before I explain."

Kitaras looked at Freya, allowing her mind to slowly wrap around what the woman was saying. The Creator…of the Ethereal Plane? Leader of an entire other plane of existence? Things were changing, and quickly at that.

"Has it been a long time since I died?" she finally asked.

"Not in the terms of time as mortals know it," the Creator responded calmly. "Time in the outer planes is largely irrelevant, usually kept only for historical records, as beings on the outer planes live much longer lives than any mortal being."

Kitaras nodded, slowly starting to regain her wits about her from all the sudden, new information. "Okay. So…why am I here, then?"

"To explain that, I must first explain something about the nature of the Ethereal Plane itself," Freya began, carefully stepping down from her throne to stand on an equal level with Kitaras. "The stability of this plane depends upon a group of beings collectively known as the Pillars of Reality. Together, they maintain the barriers that separate this plane from both the mortal planes and the other outer planes, as well as control the balance and nature of magical energy within the mortal plane. Recently, one of these beings revolted against my rule, and was stripped of her powers as a result of her actions." She paused briefly, allowing Kitaras a minute to digest all the information, before continuing once she felt that Kitaras was ready. "Kitaras Nicholai, I offer you the powers of the Pillar of Destiny, in order to restore the necessary balance between these beings."

Kitaras suddenly found that she couldn't quite contain her shock any longer.

"W-W-What?" she stammered, blinking in surprise and looking at the woman in front of her as if she'd gone crazy.

"It is not a decision to be made lightly, I assure you," Freya spoke, ignoring Kitaras' surprise – she'd expected it, as she had from the one who had taken Fayt's power before. "However, this decision was made with the best interests of my plane in mind. I do not expect you to answer immediately, as there is still more I must explain to you."

The Creator paused again, but this time, she seemed to be…uneasy, as if she had been dreading the words that she was going to say next. "You are certainly wondering why I chose you, of all mortals, are you not?"

"You…might say that," Kitaras replied slowly. The person in front of her ruled an entire plane, sure, but Kitaras found herself wondering if she hadn't perhaps lost her mind over the years. Was it even possible for that to happen to a deity? Freya turned away from Kitaras then, hiding her face from the woman's view.

"Three hundred years ago, this plane found itself at the end of a brutal, all-encompassing war, brought on by gradually-rising feelings of tension between the two races upon this plane. The reasons for war were petty and feeble, but the war itself tore this plane apart before it ended…all because two Erudite among us dared to fall in love, to have a child, when society believed that their positions made such a thing an unthinkable crime," Freya explained, solemnly turning back to Kitaras as she finished speaking. It was then that Kitaras noticed the sorrow on her face, a sorrow that few in the Ethereal Plane had ever seen the Creator express openly and freely.

"They were Arragious Nicholai, the leader of the Gilead Order, and Destine, the Pillar of Destiny…and you, Kitaras Nicholai, were their child."

The words hit Kitaras mentally with all the force of a Behemoth's stomp, her thoughts muddling as her legs buckled, sending her sinking to the floor in a state of shock. "…There's…no way that's true. I was born in Timber…I know I was!" she managed, her voice cracking – it had to be a mistake, a lie that the woman in front of her was telling!

Freya simply closed her eyes.

"In the aftermath of the war, your father, Arragious Nicholai, was banished from the Ethereal Plane as a result of his actions, a decision I regret making to this very day. For the safety of my plane, I had no choice. Still, the unrest did not quiet, and I became unsure as to whether it was going to lead into further conflict. I…proposed to your mother that we do something to ensure your safety, given the situation, and she agreed. You were sent to the mortal plane to ensure your survival, to live out your life as a mortal unknowing of your heritage."

"…That…turned out well," she said quietly, still gazing at the polished floor. "Dead before twenty-five…"

"There was no life for you here, Lady Nicholai," Freya stated, her voice equally reserved. "To remain upon this plane would have meant certain death for you, and almost certainly the beginning of a new conflict as a result. On the mortal plane, you had a new life, one free of a conflict you would have been drawn into of no fault of your own. We…truly believed it was the best choice."

Kitaras still didn't look up from her place. "I suppose…I understand…as much as I can, anyway. This is…a lot for me to take in," she said, unable to see Freya's polite nod at her words. "You said something about me becoming the Pillar of Destiny…my mother. Is…she well? What happened to her?"

"She is alive, though she is not here. She has traveled to another realm, in order to see what her choices may have resulted in had she been allowed to continue."

Kitaras spent several seconds thinking about what the Creator had told her. She knew that was but a piece of it, a small portion of everything that had really happened…but perhaps it wasn't for her to know yet. "…And you need me to help maintain this balance?" she finally asked.

"That is correct," Freya replied. "You are the one most capable of performing that task at present, even if you feel that is not the case." Kitaras seemed to consider that statement just as she had the last one, speaking only after several seconds had passed.

"Not to sound…I suppose, greedy, but what do I get out of it?"

"You will be returned both to life and to your rightful place as an Erudite, and given the power to travel between the outer planes and the mortal plane as needed. As the Pillar of Destiny, you will have magical abilities beyond nearly any other Erudite within this plane, as well as the knowledge to use them when needed. However, you will have a great degree of responsibility, both to act for the good of the planes, mortal and outer alike, as well as to obey my decisions."

Kitaras looked at Freya silently, measuring out her words and testing their veracity against her own thoughts. It certainly wasn't something to be taken lightly, as the Creator had said, but…even assuming everything was true, she somehow felt as if she could trust the being in front of her.

"Okay."

"Very well," Freya replied, standing up straight and once again looking like the leader she truly was, as if a weight had suddenly been taken off her shoulders in that moment. Her eyes met Kitaras unflinchingly, and her gaze seemed almost to weigh on Kitaras as she spoke. "Kitaras Avaleene Nicholai, I hereby bestow upon you the powers and responsibility of the Pillar of Destiny. May you act towards the benefit of all planes, both of this realm and others, and may you uphold your duties with pride and honor." She held out one hand towards Kitaras as she finished speaking, watching as raw magical energy gathered around it before beginning to flow into Kitaras like water poured into a container, strands of magical energy moving in waves and entering her body.

Kitaras suddenly felt a surge of power rushing over her like a flood, far more than she'd ever felt before in her life. Suddenly, she felt the full weight of reality, the true essence of what made up the world around her…and realized, among other things, just how powerful the woman in front of her truly was.

She dropped to a knee as she did.

"Thank you, Milady, for trusting me with this."

"It is I who should be thanking you, Lady Nicholai," Freya remarked. "I can only ask not that you forgive us, but that you understand why we acted as we did. The past cannot be changed, even for beings such as ourselves, but that does not mean that we cannot regret those actions."

Kitaras nodded in understanding, rising to her feet once more. "I'd like to take some time to grow acquainted with this power. By your leave?"

"It is a large burden to bear, I understand," Freya said with a nod to the new Pillar of Destiny. "Whatever time you need, you shall be given."

"Thank you," Kitaras said, politely bowing again before turning and walking towards the door. As the door swung shut again behind her, Freya smiled, beginning to return to her throne. It had been difficult for her, both then and now, to come to terms with what she'd had to do to preserve her plane's safety, but she felt now as if she'd finally made right an error that she had made so very long ago.

Now she simply hoped that Destine could find a way to come to terms with her own feelings.

* * *

[July 5, 2152 | Balamb, Juuban Café | 3:39 PM]

* * *

It was the best and worst of decisions, he reflected quietly over his tea. Searching for answers to what the Pillar was plotting was dangerous, but doing it alone was far too risky. Normally, those were the risks he thrived and succeeded on, but this time, he'd made an almost fatal error. He'd followed his duty as a Chosen, but he had ignored his instincts, instincts that had kept him alive for this long.

Those instincts told him that Destine wasn't to be trusted when she told him that proof existed of a plot against the Creator, and that she held it. If he'd listened to his instincts, they would've told him that that proof was the black haired woman in front of him. The instincts would've told him that Benji Powell and Katanas DeValle were to be trusted above all else.

Liam Bayloh wondered what those two thought of him now.

Ben wouldn't see it as a betrayal, because he would've never known the doubts that Destine had given him, except those he'd admitted aloud to Katanas. Still, that was enough to cause doubt. Would Ben find him untrustworthy? Only time would tell, but Angel doubted it. Ben seemed to place his trust in those he felt earned it, and rarely seemed to pull it unless required. He would see Angel's slip of judgment as just that, a slip of judgment. But...

Shaking his head, he turned to more pleasant thoughts. Katanas... that was trickier. Time would truly tell with the intrepid Commander. He'd know based on what Katanas assigned to him. Angel had, before this incident, been one of Katanas' trusted messengers; a SeeD and Instructor who was far more capable than others, able to do missions alone without many of the risks involved that normally accompanied solo missions. He'd know soon enough, however, if that was still true.

Once he came off of sick leave in a few days. Which is where he expected the medical staff at Trabia still thought he was. He probably had a good hour or so before someone would be calling him up on his GLD to instruct him (none too kindly) to return to his bed. And of course, they'd believe he was someplace else on the Trabian campus. It was helpful that the GLD's tracking could be disabled if required.

Required in this case, as he didn't want to explain how he was in Balamb when his car was still in the SeeD garage, and cameras had him in the infirmary two hours previously. No air or ground travel was capable of that, though he'd heard the _Ragnarok_ could make the run in three hours at full speed. Despite of his recent failings, it was still his _modus operandi_ to keep his Planeswalker status a secret from those he could.

But he'd had to get out. Bed rest and self-belittlement weren't a good combination, and he'd had a few things on his mind recently, before the incident with Destine, that fueled the issues that fueled the latter. So he'd done something about the first one, in order to deal with the second one.

Which is why he was sitting in a quiet cafe in Balamb; one of the last places anyone would look for him.

"You know, I just had a very unusual conversation with Commander DeValle at Trabia Garden. Do you know what he told me, Liam?" a male voice behind him asked. Angel didn't need to look over his shoulder to recognize who had spoken to him, and he stood up to turn and face him. As he had expected, an older – by most Humes' specifications – male with a healthy head of brown hair, a pudgy face, and piercing blue eyes that looked through thin glasses met him evenly. The man in question was dressed in a white button up shirt, with a red vest overlaid. Dark brown shoes and dark khaki pants completed the look.

"Headmaster Kramer! I didn't expect to see you here."

If Cid Kramer had a reaction to the statement, he chose not to voice it, choosing instead to sit down at Angel's table with his own cup of tea. "I had heard through the Network that one of my former SeeD and Instructors who'd transferred to Trabia Garden after its reconstruction, rather suddenly, I might add, was seriously injured. So, I thought I'd see if he was awake and around, as his injury was surprising to me. Imagine my surprise growing further when I go to contact Trabia, and I receive a call from Commander DeValle about an unrelated matter. When I ask of this individual's status, somehow he knew that said individual was sleeping, and isn't to be disturbed. But perhaps, if I went to Balamb and enjoyed a cup of tea at my favorite café, I may have luck at a later time."

Angel opened his mouth to speak, but Cid continued before he could. "I thought a cup of tea sounded like a fine idea. And with all of that in mind, imagine my surprise lastly, when I find the target of my sympathy drinking the same tea that I came to enjoy. Liam, why aren't you in the infirmary?"

Angel sighed. Once again, poor thinking on his part. Of course Katanas had known he had left. He was probably weaving some elaborate story explaining his whereabouts in a plausible manner. He supposed that answered one question. It seemed as though Katanas still approved enough to assist him when he went off...though he couldn't have known why he did, could he?

No, absolutely not.

"I can't stand bed rest. I've never been able to. I shouldn't have to, regardless of how beat up I am. You understand, right?" Liam replied quietly, taking the first sip of his tea, finally enjoying its rich, full taste. Cid looked to him before sighing, his lips curling into a smirk.

"I suppose I do, mister Bayloh. And you truly believe it's safe enough to walk around?"

Angel shrugged. "I've been relatively fine for a few hours. I've got some cuts, bruises, and a limp, but because of my... unique... chemistry, I'm having to fake some of it, which the pain helps. Like it or not, though, I had a number done on me, and eyebrows were going to rise if Katanas hadn't had the best of the staff working on me. The fact that I was able to walk to the infirmary with assistance probably helped, but no one recovers this fast. If I'm not careful, there'll be some questions to answer that are far too uncomfortable," he explained. Then, he blinked. "Of course, you're aware of that more than anyone, Headmaster."

Cid shook his head, a chuckle passing his lips. "I am," he replied, before waving over one of the dining staff. "Can you bring me out my usual?" he asked the woman who came to assist. She smiled, nodded, and headed into the kitchen to place the order. "I would like to know if my intuition is wrong. But Katanas seemed far too sure that I -"

Angel cut him off. "Don't bother. It's a Katanas thing." Cid looked at him questioningly. He'd known Katanas DeValle by reputation alone. What was Angel hinting at? He took a long taste of his tea, hoping Angel would elaborate. He wasn't disappointed.

"If you were to believe some of the rumors, you'd think Katanas knows everything. Of course, that's not true," he started, waiting as a large roast beef Reuben was placed in front of Kramer. The headmaster smiled, delighted and thanked the woman. He took a satisfied bite before looking to Angel again.

"Then what is he?"

Angel grinned, but waited as he waved the woman back. "Could I have another cup of tea?" The woman replied in the affirmative before she headed off to get the tea prepared. Then, he met Cid's eyes. "Katanas is intuitive, for lack of a better term. I think he sees situations and people and looks beyond what the exterior shows, choosing to examine the exterior and interior of the situation. It makes him a powerful SeeD Commander, to say the least. He simply seems to guess where and when the right place and time is a good portion of the time. Add in the fact that he's surrounded by good advisors... there's few more suited to the position that he's in."

Cid looked to his tea cup, taking another drink from it. "And how did he guess where I'd need to go to meet up with you?" his eyes twinkled with merriment. He appeared to have an idea, but Angel would need to confirm it for him. Angel once again couldn't disappoint.

"He's a keen sense when it comes to magical energies, like Planeswalking."

Cid nodded as a large pitcher was brought with the tea they'd both been drinking. Both of them thanked the waitress as she left to attend to other tables. After refilling both of their mugs, Cid looked to Angel. "How did you get yourself injured, Liam?"

Angel sighed heavily. "Do you want the truth, or the truth?" he asked quietly.

To anyone listening, this appeared to be a silly question. Cid Kramer knew differently, however. Angel was asking him the truth he'd told the infirmary staff, or the truth that he'd tell the Ancient he'd been championed by, or in this case, the Headmaster he'd bared his entire story to as a return for joining the Garden organization. "The full truth, Liam. You're quite a few years past shocking me anymore."

And so Liam Bayloh began to tell Cid Kramer of his own weakness; allowing an enemy to make him doubt one those he trusted more than most others, and almost leading to his death.

* * *

[July 6, 2152 | Galbadia City, Residential Sector | 1:11 AM]

* * *

The streets of Galbadia City during the day were some of the quietest in the world, some had said upon seeing the grandeur of the city and its comparatively odd lifestyle. A city whose day life was literally its nightlife, only upon the rising dawn did it settle into a state of silence.

It was during those twilight hours on certain days that Trabia Garden's General of the Sphere, Albel Nox, would wander the streets of the most corrupt city on the world, and truly feel at home.

Particularly when his clawed hand happened to be wrapped around the throat of a hoodlum who thought to jump him.

"I do not gladly suffer fools around my person. However, rather than crush your gutless body beneath my heels, I will give you one chance – one – to give me information I want. Take me to your boss, and _I _won't be the one who kills you today. Irritate me in the slightest," he tightened his grip, slightly, "and you won't live to regret it."

When Albel was grumpy, he tended to drop whatever limited form of politeness he exerts towards most people. It was always best to cooperate when Albel was feeling less than polite.

Twenty minutes later, he was standing before a greasy little man with dark hair sitting behind a desk far too large for his person.

Albel leaned forward, resting his good hand on the desk and staring down at the man in an intimidating fashion, ignoring the glares from the four bodyguards in the room. He did give them credit for how quickly they had set up positions around the room with guns trained on him, but they really didn't have any idea who they were dealing with.

"I want information, little man, and I, and my employer, will have it."

The man puffed himself up, trying to look tough, but Albel could _smell_ the fear wafting from the man. It mixed poorly with his cheap cologne, aftershave, and hair gel. "I don't take kindly to -"

His statement was cut off as he was forcibly evicted from his desk, now held aloft by Albel's clawed hand, the target of a threatening sneer from the Trabian General of the Sphere.

"Allow me to rephrase. You will give me the information I want, and I'll only kill _one_ of your men."

Negotiations from therein went quite smoothly.

* * *

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 9:47 AM]

* * *

Angel put the last of a few of his belongings in a small duffel bag, glancing over his room quickly to see if there was anything else he might want to take along. Cid Kramer had helped him work through some of the issues that he'd had, and while they weren't fully resolved in his mind, he had a fresh perspective. That was valuable enough for now. And he'd also given him some more advice; advice that he was following at this moment.

_"Pack a bag, Liam. Take a few days off, allow yourself some perspective. You've dealt with many things in the last few years. No one would blame you for using up some of your leave time."_

A few things left behind; his GLD reluctantly not one of them, Angel threw on his duster, and threw his bag over his shoulder. One last check saw everything in order, and moments later he was locking the door behind him. He wouldn't be taking the Angelmobile today; he just wanted to get there and relax. No one would look twice if he didn't take the car, as people left Garden without a vehicle on a fairly regular basis.

He turned a corner as he went over his mental checklist, only to run smack into a woman, knocking her to the ground. He quickly knelt to help her up, only to realize that the woman was someone he recognized... and had recently been crying.

"Yuna?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

She looked at him, visibly shaken. "I-I-I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! I should've been paying more attention, and I'm so -"

Angel interrupted, a mild chuckle coming out of him. "It's quite alright, Yuna. I wasn't paying full attention either." His words did nothing to calm Yuna, though, who started to cry.

Angel was good at a lot of things, but dealing with a suddenly crying woman was not one of them. He put his hand on her shoulder; an attempt to console her. Before words could start, she'd wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Once again caught off guard, he merely allowed her to cry, patting her back and whispering words of consolation. Suddenly realizing where they were, as well as the possible scene they could be making, he pulled her away from the dormitory entrance and down the hallway a bit.

A few minutes passed, and she finally calmed down enough to stand on her own, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tried to put her emotions back in place once more. An awkward silence passed between the two, and Angel finally cleared it. "Probably not my place, but, um... is everything all right?" he asked. Yuna looked at him with a sad smile on her face.

"Not really. I just needed a friend, is all. I had a fight with Tidus... and I think..." she trailed off, and then stood straighter. "Don't worry about me, Angel. Thanks for being there, though."

Angel smiled warmly. "It was my pleasure, Lady Yuna," he replied, and she blushed. A few moments later, she began to walk away. "Hey, Yuna?" he called after her. She turned, curiosity on her face. "It's gonna be okay," he said. A smile lit up her face, and she nodded politely before she started heading away. Angel watched her leave with a sense of trepidation, though he couldn't quite explain to himself why he felt that way.

He realized, with a start, that talking to Yuna Kaname in close proximity had made him nervous. He chuckled, and headed towards the main concourse. He'd head outside, get a good distance out, and Planeswalk to his destination – Cid was right about one thing. He _did_ feel like he deserved some leisure time after everything that had happened.

* * *

Is that the sound of foreshadowing in the distance? Of course not...it's probably just the wind.

Though I typically do most of the actual writing for this story, using material from both of my co-authors as well, this interlude has scenes written by all three of us - those with Angel were written by Daniel Wesley Rydell, and the scene with Albel was written by Iron Reaver. You'll notice that this interlude chapter was also much longer than my usual chapters; this was because we all wanted to focus on many different characters at once in order to show some of the varied reactions to recent events. Another thing that I should explain is how the Trabia Garden ranking system now works under Darius DeValle, Sr.

Trabia Garden itself is split into several different specializations - Alchemy, Combat, and Magic - as well as a fourth group for students who choose not to have a specialization. There are also two other non-combat specializations, one for Mercantile and one for Political specialists, which are ranked differently. The first four are split into enlisted and officer rankings, as follows:

Enlisted: Layman, Cadet

Officer: Ensign, Lieutenant, Captain, Major / Instructor, Colonel, Petty Officer, Headmaster, Commodore (Knight of the Sphere), Brigadier (Paladin of the Sphere), Field Marshal (General of the Sphere), Garden Commander

Major and Instructor are equivalent ranks, all things considered, but most Instructors have foregone field work to focus on teaching, hence the separation. The last six ranks, from Petty Officer onwards, are for those who have achieved command positions within Garden. I won't detail the non-combat specializations yet, as they don't have much bearing on the story at this point; they only have five and four ranks, respectively. Most of this structure comes from the mind of Iron Reaver, as he worked with Trabia Garden's backstory and structure the most out of us while we developed the story.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please read and review.


	50. I, IV, I: For Want of Words

I blame Dragon Age: Origins for the lateness. And graduation preparations. That is all.

Begin!

_

* * *

_

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter I—For Want of Words_

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* * *

_

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 1:13 PM]

* * *

Darius DeValle, Jr. was not a fool. Far from it, in fact – the eighteen-year old boy was a talented Alchemist, skilled in manipulating the element of Lightning with his transmutations, a powerful, though not particularly high-ranking member of Trabia Garden's alchemic SeeD specialization, and the head of Merchant's Alley, Trabia's business program.

Looking back, he realized, it only made him a bigger fool for disregarding one of his personal, fundamental rules: never let someone manipulate you on their end of the deal without collateral, _particularly _when said deal involved information you'd gone to great lengths to try and obtain, and even _more _so when said deal was made with an extraplanar being. Ethereal Plane entities weren't known for dishonesty, but the definition of dishonesty could stretch quite far in the minds of some, something Darius himself had used before and should've prepared against.

* * *

_Darius sighed as he left the Palace of Creation; the Ethereal Plane was not a plane he visited often, and that was the first time in recent memory he could recall going to the Creator herself for something. It would not be something to be repeated any time soon, certainly. His agreement with the Lord Sovereign had, as promised, led to a meeting with the Grim Angel he'd been seeking, and he'd been surprised when time for the meeting came._

_The fact that his last name happened to be "Beoulve" had quite a bit to do with that._

_Etchel, as he'd found out very quickly, was the father of both the lovable young SeeD Commander's aide at Trabia Garden and his highly-talented sister, a fact Darius had neither known nor cared enough to ask about before now. Ein never really talked about his parents, only Andréa, but it wasn't very hard at all to see the family resemblance. Etchel had the same messy brown hair and brown eyes as his son, and looked almost exactly like what Darius figured Ein would look like in ten or fifteen years. His features were sharper and decidedly more rugged than those of the teen, but overall Etchel looked very much like his son…or, Darius thought, Ein looked a great deal like his father. _

_That had led to another conclusion that Darius hadn't expected – Etchel Beoulve was a Malakh, an Ethereal Plane being…so did that make Ein and Andréa Malakh as well? The answer was mostly 'yes.' Both were actually half-Malakh, as their mother was mortal, and Etchel staunchly refused to mention who that woman was to Darius. The Planeswalker had grudgingly let the matter drop, mostly because there were more pressing matters at hand._

_The next few minutes had been spent in intelligent conversation, with Darius laying out the terms for why he'd come to Soul Society seeking him out and exactly what he wanted to know from the Malakh, and Etchel had listened with a patient ear while the youngest DeValle son explained himself. Obviously, Darius had been expecting some sort of an exchange of information or some other task that the Malakh wanted from him in exchange for his knowledge, but he had not expected to hear what Etchel had asked for in return._

_"I want you to make a deal for me. If I give you this information, I want to be allowed to return to the mortal plane."_

_That started a new line of questioning that Darius was truly curious about; he'd had no idea, nor had Byakuya mentioned, that Etchel had been kept from visiting the mortal plane. Sadly, Darius had gotten very little out of Etchel on that particular topic, as the elder Malakh was unwilling to say much more than that…at least, until he'd mentioned that he wasn't going to secure any kind of deal until Etchel leveled with him as to why he'd been kept from visiting the mortal plane. _

_Barring any kind of extraplanar entity from the mortal plane was only done with a good reason in mind, and Darius had smiled when Etchel realized he was backed into a figurative corner. He'd had no choice left but to explain in the end, while the Planeswalker had found himself somehow unsurprised, if amused, at what Etchel had described. _

_The elder Beoulve had fallen in love with a mortal woman while on one excursion into the mortal plane, and might have…slipped on some of his duties to spend a little more time with her. It had been frowned upon severely by his peers, so much so that Freya had enacted punishment in the form of confining him to the outer planes for his actions once it was discovered. Darius didn't push the question any further – he'd already proven to himself that he could dig out the information he wanted from the Malakh if he really wanted – and instead sealed the agreement with Etchel in order to seal his procuring of the information he truly desired._

_Byakuya had reluctantly agreed to the proposal, seeing as how it would remove Etchel from his duties for a day, but Darius had greedily taken the offer at face value – reluctant agreement was still an agreement. Freya had been more interesting, seeing as how she placed the restriction upon Etchel in the first place. As she was the one who crafted the hex, only she or another Ancient-level entity could hope to remove it with any success, and the Lord Sovereign had no interest in deciphering Freya's magic without clear gain. _

_He had expected reluctance, perhaps even outright refusal, from the Creator, but all he had received for his trouble was a warm smile and a readily entered agreement, only furthering his confusion. He wasn't about to argue with success, however, and he left the palace as quickly as he could manage while still being proper; Odin and Xeios, like Byakuya, seemed to be two beings that were similar in mind to Byakuya when it came to his antics._

_Etchel met Darius in the courtyard as the Planeswalker exited the majestic palace. "Success?" he asked, looking almost anxiously at the Planeswalker. Darius' affirming nod brought a smile to the Malakh's face moments later, but the slight frown that followed put a stop to any preliminary celebrations._

_"You'll uphold your end of the bargain now?" Darius asked, to which Etchel smiled again._

_"Of course! But first, follow me to the mortal plane – I've something to claim before I start talking."_

_That earned a momentary skeptical look from the Planeswalker, but he obligingly began to follow Etchel nonetheless as they headed towards one of the gates that would lead back to the mortal plane. With the exception of Planeswalkers, as that was an essential part of their reason for being, very few other entities besides planar leaders and others selected specifically by those in the station had true plane-crossing abilities. Certain members of the Ethereal Knights and Magi had the ability, as did individuals chosen by the Lord Sovereign and the Overlord, but those were few in number – all others relied on the presence of special planar gates within each plane to move between the outer planes and, rarely, the mortal plane._

_

* * *

_

Katanas looked up from his paperwork as the door to his office opened only to see the scowling face of his youngest brother, who was standing across the room from him. He clasped his hands together as Darius walked in and sat down; his brother typically never bothered him while he was working, so he found himself curious as to what could cause him to do so.

"Is something wrong?" he asked Darius, the business-like expression on his face never wavering.

"I've got a little _problem_, you could say," Darius commented, the scowl on his face only growing deeper.

* * *

_They had reappeared in, of all places, what appeared to be an orchard full of fruit trees, with apple, orange, and pear trees surrounding them in the immediate vicinity, as well as a pair of houses visible further off. Etchel calmly looked around with a smile on his face, taking in the sights for several long seconds before stepping over towards one of the trees and picking an apple from a branch, taking a large bite and savoring the taste._

_"They just don't have apples like this in Soul Society," he commented through a mouthful of fruit, earning a strange look from the youngest DeValle son._

_"You had me talk to two planar leaders so you could come back and eat fruit?" he asked in a deadpan tone. Etchel waved the comment off, shaking his head._

_"Of course not…though, it's certainly a wonderful fringe benefit," he remarked. "But now, I think we have more important matters to deal with."_

_"That sounds right," Darius stated…then paused as Etchel started to walk away from him, headed towards the houses in the distance. "…Where do you think you're going?"_

_"Just…to attend to some business of mine. Nothing big, of course, just some odds and ends I have to take care of. You understand."_

_"What about my information?" Darius looked quite a bit less than pleased; now he was certain that he should've gotten the information first, before bothering with any of Etchel's demands._

_"You'll get it…" Etchel replied offhandedly, still walking and seemingly unconcerned with the Planeswalker following him. "Might not be _today, _but you'll get it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"_

_"You're not leaving until you give me that information. I didn't go talk to people on your account out of the goodness of my heart, you know," Darius said, his hand dropping to one of the holsters at his side. Etchel stopped and turned, looking curiously at the alchemist, before smiling._

_"Oh, I'm fully aware of that, and you have my most sincere thanks. I do so hope we'll get to do this again sometime."_

_

* * *

_

"So, you want to hire SeeD to go and track down a rogue _Malakh _for you so that you can make him keep his end of a deal he made with you?" Katanas queried, a faint look of amusement now showing in his eyes. "I never thought I would see the day when my little brother would have a deal go south."

"Yeah, yeah…I'm sure you're eager and waiting to rub it in, aren't you?" he asked with a glower in Katanas' direction.

"I just find it amusing, that's all, given your position." Katanas smiled amiably, serving only to further bother his little brother as Darius sat down in front of the desk. "So, did you have a team in mind?"

"Myself, obviously," he stated, "but I thought I might ask you for advice first." Katanas nodded and turned back to his computer, bringing up a database of available SeeD officers.

"Any particular specialization you're looking to draw from?"

"Alchemic or magic, preferably…I figure they have the best chance of tracking someone by their energy, even if they don't quite know what they're looking for."

As Katanas started typing, beginning to narrow down the database to something more succinct and manageable, a faint whisper of noise came from the direction of the door to his office, noise which did not go unnoticed by either DeValle. Katanas merely looked up, but Darius rose from his seat smoothly as his arms dropped to his side, pistols clearing their holsters and training unerringly on the door of the office in less than a second. If someone was there _and_ had been allowed to enter, Ein would have notified Katanas first, and if no one was there…

Well, Darius would look a bit paranoid or overly wary, but none the worse for appearance. As long as only Katanas saw it, he felt he could live with that.

"My, my…all this effort for someone like me? I'm touched – really, I am."

Etchel Beoulve stood in front of the closed door to Katanas' office, smiling faintly with folded arms as he watched the pair of Planeswalkers. Darius' guns slowly lowered, returning to their holsters, and he glanced at Katanas.

"You can call it off now, Katanas."

"I figured you might say that," Katanas remarked, nodding lightly. "I assume this is the person you were looking for?"

"Yeah," he said, turning back to Etchel. "How'd you get in here, anyway, without someone seeing you?"

"Why, I'm almost hurt!" Etchel said melodramatically, feigning offense. "Surely you haven't forgotten already that I _am_ a former Captain of the Order of Grim Angels, as well as an outer plane being? If I want to remain undetected, well…I'm rather good at that, you might say."

As much as Darius wanted to shoot him a skeptical look for all his boasting, he reminded himself that the _Malakh_ had, in fact, just snuck his way through three floors of a fully-staffed and busy Garden to get here.

"So, anyway, now that I'm here –"

"Intruding," Darius interrupted grumpily.

"– _intruding_," Etchel continued, directing an amused look towards the Alchemist, "might I suggest we get down to business? Provided you still _want _my business, that is."

"I didn't go talk to a few planar leaders for nothing," Darius shot back, causing Etchel to make his way over to a chair at Katanas' desk and sit down, swinging his arm over the back of the chair casually. Darius did much the same, taking another chair and spinning it around to face the Grim Angel before sitting. "I guess I'll start with the biggest question – jump right into things, you could say."

"Oh?"

"Destine," Darius began, "just got done with an attempt to lead a little coup on her mother's throne, which you may or may not be aware of. From the impression I've gotten, she wasn't always the rotten kid, so I was wondering if you had any idea as to what caused her to go sour on the world – since you're an Ethereal being and all." Etchel was silent for a brief moment before he chuckled quietly, eyes lighting up with mirth as he took in Darius' query.

"Now that _is _an interesting little question," Etchel said, smiling. "I've got some ideas, a bit of a theory, but I think I'll have to explain a bit more than you're expecting before I get to that."

"Like?" Darius asked, relaxing into his chair. Suddenly, he got the feeling he would be here a bit longer than anticipated. He heard Katanas absently tell Ein to hold his calls and visitors until he said otherwise, but he was more interested in what the _Malakh_ was implying to really pay attention to his brother.

"Oh, just a couple little things," the _Malakh _stated, glancing between Katanas and Darius. "The founding of the Order of Grim Angels, the last major war in the Ethereal Plane…just some minor details."

Darius looked at Katanas.

"Minor. Sure."

Katanas smirked, and then turned to Etchel. "Please, continue."

"Where to start, where to start…" Etchel muttered, looking thoughtful. "Guess the beginning is a good place." He seemed to relax more in his chair as he spoke, bringing his arm back over the chair and resting both his arms on the chair arms themselves. "This all started about…fifteen hundred years or so ago, give or take a few decades. The Ethereal Plane, like the other planes, was still relatively new by our standards, and Lady Freya was still dealing with a lot of the trivialities of running an entire plane of existence – which, as I'm sure you can imagine, are rather numerous. I don't know all the details here, just what I heard secondhand, so you'll have to bear with me a bit."

"That's quite alright," Katanas said, speaking before Darius could. "We can't ask you to say more than you know, after all."

"Well, back then, we _Malakh _were one of the two races in the Ethereal Plane – _Erudite, _as I'm sure you already know, are the other. We didn't exactly get along too well; in terms of numbers, there were far more of us than them, but that made them feel like their numbers were so few because they were just "better," for whatever reasons they rationalized that by. Lots of oppression, resentment, that sort of thing – messy business. Anyway, eventually, a couple _Malakh _got bold and propositioned the Creator to do something about it in a roundabout way. One of them, Kaji…something or other, can't remember the name…brought up an idea for an extension of the Gilead Order."

"Which was some big, prestigious peacekeeping force, right?" Darius asked. He had some idea as to what the Gilead Order was due to Katanas' association with several members of the Ethereal Plane, but he didn't have a true understanding as to the order's significance.

"An oversimplification, but yes. The Gilead Order was designed to both help Freya with the day-to-day duties for government and that sort of thing, as well as a force to aid Lord Odin and Lord Xeios in keeping the peace, investigating necessary matters, about what you might expect. It was also, up until the aforementioned point in time, exclusive to _Erudite _entities. Why, I don't know, but it was. At any rate, Lady Freya accepted the _Malakh's _proposal, and a subsection was added to the Gilead Order – what would come to be known as the Order of Grim Angels. In a bit of paralleling, this section of the Order was exclusive to us _Malakh, _and it wasn't long before they had more trainees than they feasibly knew what to do with. Everyone seemed to want a chance to prove that they were the equal of _Erudite _because of the centuries of hate, but there was even more hate as a result of the addition if anything."

Etchel paused briefly to make sure that Darius was taking in all the information, receiving a look for his trouble from the younger boy that clearly said to continue. Katanas, for his part, looked similarly interested; he couldn't say that he'd ever heard much about what had happened despite his association with several of the higher-ranking beings in the Ethereal Plane.

"Well, long story short, things simmered down somewhat for a couple centuries, the Order of Grim Angels prospered and proved its worth to the plane, and life went on. That is, until a specific piece of sensitive information got out that really didn't need to."

"That being?"

Etchel sighed, shifting a bit in his chair to make himself more comfortable. "The leader of the Gilead Order was a man named Arragious Nicholai – tough _Erudite_, great leader, and one of the few that actually had respect for us _Malakh. _One day, news got out that he was in a romantic relationship with a certain Pillar of Destiny…and things pretty much turned upside-down in less than a day."

Darius frowned, his understanding of Etchel's information giving way to confusion. "I don't get it – what was the big deal there?"

"I left out one piece of information there – my fault, to be honest," Etchel stated. "Let me back up just a bit. Destine, at this point in time, had been placed into the position of the official liaison between Freya and her advisors, and the Gilead Order. As you might imagine, given their positions, a romantic relationship set off a lot of feelings both in and out of the Order, and, well…things devolved into madness. People started calling for Nicholai's resignation, Destine's resignation, some even both of their heads, and not just _Erudite_. Some _Malakh _weren't happy about it either, but there were far fewer of us that hated it than _Erudite _because of how Nicholai respected us. Nicholai refused to cater to the ones who were speaking out, Destine did the same, and a couple people decided that open revolt was the only way to go. Cue war."

"How did Freya take this?" Katanas asked, his curiosity piqued. "Surely she didn't just sit idly by and watch her 'daughter' of sorts slandered?"

"She had bigger things to worry about for a while there. Not only did these guys decide that Arragious and Destine were in the wrong, they _also _made the remarkable leap of logic that _Freya _needed to go too, for letting it go on," Etchel responded, a note of sarcasm easily evident in his voice. "The Gilead Order, obviously, stepped in to protect Freya, as did Odin, Xeios, and what must have been most of the _Malakh _in the plane itself, and what started as silent resentment boiled over into full-scale war in barely a day or two."

"Wait, wait…hold on," Darius said, holding up a hand to stop Etchel. "You mean to tell me that Destine indirectly _started a war_ in the Ethereal Plane?"

"In a roundabout sense, of course, but that's about the gist of it."

"This explains a few things," Katanas said, looking over at Darius. His brother nodded in agreement.

"Like her attitude," he commented, his deadpan tone returning.

"As you probably already guessed, Destine didn't always have the charming personality she does now, but the war itself wasn't what really sent her over the edge – that came at the end. It took over three centuries for the war to finally come to a conclusion, since the 'resistance' kept becoming more and more numerous as they convinced others to turn against Freya, and Odin and Xeios only had so many forces to work with to try and quell it all. Combine that with the fact that the plane itself is quite large…they had a fair amount of trouble rooting out most of the direct causes of dissent. When all was said and done, Freya finally had to step onto the battlefield a few times directly, but things ended pretty quickly after that. The Gilead Order, and by extension the Order of Grim Angels, was all but gone, and by the end of the war there were probably less than a dozen or so _Malakh_ alive in the entire plane – I was one of the few who survived, though I didn't stay in the Ethereal Plane after everything was over."

Etchel's tone had become progressively more somber as he went on, a noticeable change from the upbeat and joking tone he'd had with Darius at the start of the conversation. Old wounds died hard, and this was no exception; seeing your entire race wiped from existence save for a handful had to be incredibly painful for the outer plane being, Katanas knew.

"In the end, something had to be done to set things straight, and Freya eventually met with a few of the main figures behind all the resistance. I don't really know what happened, but it ended up that Arragious Nicholai was exiled from the Ethereal Plane to the mortal plane."

"Exiled? For something like _that?_" Darius could scarcely believe himself. He'd imagined that Freya had made mistakes in the past, but something of this degree seemed beyond such a being.

"Like I said, I don't know what was said or how it happened, but Arragious found himself banished from the plane. Destine, as you might imagine, didn't take this well at all. She refused to talk to anyone about it from that point on, least of all Freya, and I left soon after everything was settled. Wasn't the best peace in the world, but after three centuries of war, I guess they thought that any peace was peace worth taking."

"I've a question, if you will," Katanas interjected, a thoughtful look on his face. "You mentioned that the _Malakh _in the plane were nearly eliminated altogether…if it's not too painful a subject, might I ask how? If there were so many _Malakh _at the beginning, what could possibly have happened to kill them _all?_"

To his credit, Etchel's expression didn't waver, nor did he flinch as Katanas asked his question. "It's…complicated. I mentioned that most of us sided with Freya when everything started – well, somewhat obviously, the 'resistance' of sorts figured that they would never win a war of attrition is they were outnumbered fifteen or twenty to one. So, they started coming up with ways to negate that numerical advantage that we had almost from the outset. They didn't find a real solution until a century or two in, but when they did, there was probably more bloodshed in the next decade than there had been up to that point. They developed…magic, a kind of magic which was targeted at us specifically, with one purpose: to turn us into _Daiesthai._"

"_Daiesthai?_" Darius asked, sounding somewhat hesitant. He was starting to have a bad feeling that he knew where this was leading. "Why do something like that?"

"_Daiesthai_ are…more bestial in their personalities, a sort of opposite to the intellectual spirit of the Ethereal Plane. They're instinct-guided, to put it simply, except for the _Arrancar_, but most don't really make it to that level of development. Their thinking was that if they found some way to corrupt us into more demonic forms, that we would suddenly, say…find ourselves being attacked by our own forces in the middle of a fight. It would be safer and more beneficial to them to use our biggest asset against us – turn an entire group of _Malakh, _then let them loose on some of their allies. Either way, it's a win for them."

"From the sound of things, it worked," Darius stated.

"…Yes and no," Etchel said, waving his hand in the air somewhat. "It worked, but only partially. A lot of the time, the spell wouldn't work completely, and it would leave the afflicted in some kind of "half-state," neither _Malakh _nor _Daiesthai _and almost completely feral, attacking whatever was nearest. Other times, it would just kill the target outright, overwhelming them before it could do its work. The rest of the time, it either worked as intended…or didn't work at all. I never saw a case personally, but I heard accounts every so often that a _Malakh _just…resisted the spell, that they were affected and somehow managed to overcome it. Of course, how much of that was true and how much was exaggeration or misunderstanding is anyone's guess."

"Even in the Ethereal Plane, they make their exploits sound better than they were," Darius commented with a smirk. "Nice to know they're not so above it all."

"They have their flaws too, just like you mortals," Etchel replied, nodding. "Does that answer your question, or do I need to be interrogated some more?" he continued, a mirthful smile across his face. Darius didn't reply immediately, instead shifting his gaze to Katanas.

"I think that explains why Destine went a little off the deep end, don't you think?" he asked, earning a nod from the SeeD Commander.

"Yes, it does explain quite a bit. I believe that we won't have much to worry about from Destine for a while, but I'm not going to take her off the radar just yet. Fayt also concerns me, however," Katanas said, looking over at Etchel. "You are aware that Fayt's powers as a Pillar were taken from her, correct?"

"Were they?" Etchel said, looking honestly surprised for the first time in the conversation. "I wasn't too aware of that, to be honest, especially since she has seems to have them back already."

"Already? Then I assume Lady Freya has forgiven her?" Katanas asked.

"Something like that, I suppose. Guess they had a nice heart-to-heart about it all, because she didn't seem all that bitter about it the last time I saw her."

"Should probably still watch her, Katanas," Darius noted. "Can't be too careful."

"There's truth in that," Katanas agreed, nodding. "At least she seems to have settled her issues with Lady Freya."

"For what it's worth," Darius muttered, deciding to let the matter slide. He'd gotten what he'd wanted from Etchel, and truth be told, more than he'd truly wanted to know. "I guess that'll do for now," he told Etchel, turning his attention back to the _Malakh_. "If I think of anything else I want to ask, I'll find you."

"Of course," Etchel said as he stood, his amused smile returning as he reached into a fold of the robe-like clothing he was wearing and produced an apple. "I'll have to make it a bit harder to find me next time, you understand," he commented, taking a bite from the fruit.

"…Of course," Darius said with a sigh. For being Ein's father, it was almost painfully obvious that the two were nothing alike. If Darius didn't know any better, he'd say Etchel had little to no ability to be serious no matter the situation. The _Malakh _stepped past Darius and made his way to the door before stopping briefly, turning back to the Alchemist.

"Since I answered some questions for you, I'd like you to answer one for me," he said, a curious look on his face.

"Which would be?" Darius asked skeptically, wondering what kind of a question he was about to receive.

"Know any other places where I could find nice apples here in the mortal plane?"

* * *

The first thing you might notice is that we're now in a new arc - this is the last arc of the first book. There are to be two books, and so this is not quite the halfway point of the story yet.

The second thing you'll likely notice is that this is an exposition-focused chapter, albeit one of more normal length. This chapter neatly summarizes, though leaves out some parts and facts of, a story I hope to write in the future, _Clouded Horizons: Origins. _That story will detail more of what was explained here, namely the war in the Ethereal Plane before this story takes place.

Etchel Beoulve, as should be evident, is a bit of an odd character. Outwardly, he is very goofy, witty, and prone to amusing statements and actions, but he is capable of being serious when needed...just not _incredibly _serious. I also aimed to show one particular facet of the Ethereal Plane's denizens here as well - specifically, that while they may be old, wise, and incredibly powerful compared to most _Hume_, they are still just as fallible by virtue of being mortal. Even Freya isn't perfect; she made a lot of decisions in her early time as Creator that weren't the right choices when she looked back on them, such as banishing Arragious.

As I did last chapter, I'll be explaining another facet of our universe here, specifically the different races. There are seven different races in _Clouded Horizons - Hume, Vayash Moru, Quincy, Malakh, Daiesthai, Erudite_, and _Ancient._

_- Hume _are...well, humans. They reside primarily on the mortal plane, though _Hume _Planeswalkers have sometimes chosen to reside in the plane of their employ.

- _Vayash Moru, _more commonly called "vampires" by most, are beings created when a _Daiesthai _possesses a _Hume_ and is then removed from the victim's body after some length of time. Because of the possession, the _Hume's _body has been corrupted by the _Daiesthai's_ demonic urges, specifically the urge to feed on other living souls.

_- Quincy _are effectively souls, the beings that others become upon dying and entering Soul Society. All other beings become _Quincy _upon their death and entry into the plane.

_- Malakh _are a formerly-numerous race that existed on the Ethereal Plane in years past before being nearly wiped out by the most recent war. They were less powerful than their _Erudite _cousins, but more numerous and equally skilled at the use of magic.

_- Daiesthai _are demonic entities residing in the Nether Plane, the only race which dwells there. They are an instinct-driven and bestial race with average _Hume-_level intelligence that is often overtaken by their natural urgings.

_- Erudite _are the other race that exists on the Ethereal Plane, the only race now following the aforementioned war. They, on average, possess great power and natural skill with magic, and live very long lives as opposed to other beings.

_- Ancient _is a "race" in only a loose sense; the term is used to refer to those who rule planes of existence, such as Freya. Any being may become an _Ancient _by becoming the leader of a plane, a process which is done by the _Author _of a given realm. They are what other beings would typically view as "gods," possessed of immense power and knowledge.

As I've mentioned before, we've all tried to put a lot of thought into our work, and only now am I really getting to go into great amounts of depth with things, something which I hope to continue to do in the future. Questions can, of course, always be directed to me whether in a review or a private message. As always, please read and review.


	51. I, IV, II: Vested Interests

A bit shorter chapter than last, this time; hopefully, my inspiration will return soon enough to this story. Other issues have been taking up a lot of my time as of late.

Begin!  
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* * *

_

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
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_Chapter II—Vested Interests  
_

* * *

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 4:17 PM]

* * *

Being summoned to the Commander's office is one of those things that makes my stomach do flip-flops inside my body – no matter whether it's good or bad, it leaves a general feeling of unease until you figure out exactly what you've been called for.

It either gets better or worse from there, usually, never staying quite the same.

Or maybe that's just some extension of how sick I've been feeling these past few days. My body has felt more tired than usual lately, and I've had a faint headache off and on to go along with it, but it's been nothing too serious. Some caffeine and an aspirin or two have made me feel better for the most part, but I can honestly say that it makes me feel a bit more normal here to even _have _a headache. I haven't really felt sick at all since I first went to Spira, and it makes me feel like the world is a more normal place for it, somehow not as alien or following different universal laws.

'_Wonder if Squall ever saved the world with a cold?' _I muse to myself, smiling a little at the thought. Raising a hand to my mouth to stifle a yawn, I step up to the desk that I can see Ein working at, busily shuffling papers around with a mildly concerned look on his face.

"How're things?" I ask, causing the smaller SeeD to look up from his papers momentarily.

"Just trying to find a mission report for mister Katanas," he replies. "Do you need something?"

"Is Katanas in? I got a message on my GLD to come to the Commander's office," I continue, resting one hand on the desk.

"Um…" Ein looks unsure for a moment, glancing at the door briefly before looking back at me. "I know he's around, but I think he stepped out for a minute…"

"Crap…that figures," I mutter, shaking my head. "My timing sucks."

"I would say it's not _that_ bad," a voice says suddenly, the quiet noise of dress shoes on carpet heralding the approach of the uniform-clad SeeD Commander.

"Evening, Commander," I say politely, quickly turning and offering Katanas a salute right before he waves his hand dismissively.

"At ease," he says, turning to Ein. "Have you found that report I asked for yet, Ein?"

"No, sir," the young SeeD replies. "I'm sure I'll have it soon…"

"That's fine," he remarks, nodding slightly. "I've some things to discuss with Ensign Powell first, anyway. Come with me, if you would?" he continues, turning his attention briefly back to me as he heads towards the door of his office. With a nod of assent, I follow, falling into step behind him as we enter his office. I notice offhandedly that the office floor is clean again from the recent encounter with Destine as Katanas takes his seat, followed by myself a moment later in the chair across from him.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Ensign," he states, causing me to shrug.

"Can't just ignore a summons from the Commander," I remark. "What do you need, sir?"

"No need to be very formal right now," Katanas continues, resting his hands on the desk. "It's not necessarily what _I _need this time, Powell." He reaches to the left side of his desk, pulling over a folder and opening it in front of him. As he does, I notice an upside-down picture of myself on the first page of the papers inside, realizing that he must be looking at my SeeD file. "Congratulations are in order for how you handled the confrontation with Destine."

"Thank you, si- ah, Katanas," I say, momentarily caught off-guard by the statement and similar insistence on casual address. "I'm glad Rubedo was there to help, but I don't know much about what he did fighting that demon he was up against."

"Daiesthai," Katanas corrects. "Beings from the Nether Plane. Sort of a parallel to the Malakh that once inhabited the Ethereal Plane, you could say."

"Can't say I've seen either, really," I say with a faint shrug. "I thought all the Ethereal Plane beings were Erudite?" I'm still learning about the Ethereal Plane itself and its history, so I can't say I really knew anything about these Malakh, whatever they are.

"They are, now – the Malakh were all but wiped out a few centuries ago during the last war," Katanas explains, causing my eyes to widen briefly – I had been aware that there was a war during the time Katanas just mentioned, but I hadn't gotten many more details besides the fact that one had happened. As far as I knew up until now, Erudite _were _the only race. "But that's neither here nor there."

"So, what exactly _is _this about?" I ask Katanas, also making a mental note to visit the Ethereal Plane and learn more about the Malakh race sometime soon. The SeeD Commander merely smiles, flipping through the file for a moment before stopping on another page full of text that I can't read – it is, after all, upside-down in my view.

"As you're aware, Trabia has a number of regulations for almost everything – by necessity, of course, to keep such an organization running smoothly. We don't often do things by sole decision; even I, as the SeeD Commander, consult with others such as Albel and Camdus before deciding on courses of action. Missions, course policies, promotions, nearly everything is handled by at least a small group of ranking officials."

He pauses briefly, skimming another line of text on the page before looking up again. "I took the liberty – yesterday, in fact – of bringing your name up to the promotion board for consideration after the mission two days ago."

"You…what?" The sound of my voice is somewhat of a surprise to even myself, more for the way it came out than the fact that I spoke.

"Just as I said. Rubedo, for one, seemed satisfied with your performance, and he didn't object to the idea when I brought it up."

"…He's a SeeD?" I ask, more than a little confused. "You didn't tell me that."

"Well, time was short, you understand, not to mention the fact that you didn't _ask,_" he continues, the smile on his face growing somewhat cheeky. "He's actually one of the command staff – a Knight of the Sphere, to be precise. Rubedo has been a SeeD here at Trabia about as long as I myself have."

"…You really like toying with people, don't you?" I ask, not sure whether to be annoyed, amused, or both at the actions of the SeeD Commander.

"Some have said that," Katanas admits with a faint shrug, "but, I digress. A SeeD can only be promoted at the allowance of a promotional board, which convenes around twice a year. However, there's a stipulation that says the board may be convened if a promising candidate is suggested by their commanding officer, and that suggestion notarized by the acting SeeD Commander."

"Can I safely assume you're not telling me all this because you're trying to make conversation?"

"Of course not. Instructor Lucretia, as it just so happens, decided to submit your name to the board for consideration yesterday following certain…events. Given your performance on missions so far, I saw no particular reason not to certify the suggestion and pass it along."

Instructor Lucretia, I remember, is the blond woman in charge of the Alchemy division here at Trabia Garden. I haven't seen her around much, besides an appearance to all the new cadets after the initial program registrations and a few choice walk-ins during classes, so I haven't really gotten to talk to her face-to-face at all – which means I have no idea what kind of person she is beyond a couple minutes of what were probably often-said words. Despite the obvious implications of what Katanas just said, the statement – more specifically, the way it was said – does bring up another interesting thought that I can't help but ask about.

"If you don't mind me asking, Katanas," I start, glancing around the room for a brief moment before looking back at the Commander, "just…how many people know about the whole Planeswalking deal, anyway? After what happened two days ago, and what you said about it being an official Garden mission and all…"

I can't quite find the words offhand to vocalize what I want to say in a succinct manner. With everything that happened with Destine being a Garden mission, if no one knows about us Planeswalkers, what _could _be written in a mission report that wouldn't be classified to all but a few? If the Headmaster didn't know, then there's no way he would approve the mission itself. Luckily, Katanas seems to understand what I want to say but can't, at least in part.

"Actually, very few people know about our extraplanar dealings. Excluding me and Rubedo, obviously, the rest of my family here knows – my two brothers, my mother, and my father – as well as Andréa and Ein. Albel also knows, though it's also accurate to say that he doesn't _care_, as does the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, Cid Kramer."

Okay, so at least one fear was unfounded – the Headmaster _does _know, and not just the one here at Trabia, either. Quickly, I nod, feeling a bit bad for interrupting Katanas in the middle of something clearly important.

"Going back to what I was saying, however, Lucretia submitted your name for consideration. Under protocol, the promotion board was convened, and a decision was reached after examination of your conduct, your SeeD file, and your mission history, among other things such as psychological exams and medical records."

"Nothing if not thorough, right?" I ask with a nod. Nothing he said a moment ago comes as any real surprise to me, as I already figured from his first words that if anything was to be done, they'd look at every scrap of information available to them, no matter how minor. I'd expect nothing less out of such an organization, personally, considering the standard of the things we handle.

"Of course," he remarks, still skimming through the folder. After a few more seconds, he flips to the back and pulls out a small, yellow manila envelope, passing it across the desk to me. Picking it up, I quickly flip it over – noting that it appears to be nearly empty in the process – and open it up before dumping the contents out into my hand. A small card and another rectangular object meet my eyesight, the card quickly identified as a SeeD identification card, while the other object appears to be a uniform rank insignia, bearing a pale yellow border around a gray background, upon which sits the SeeD insignia with a teal outline on the far right side, along with a single yellow bar that sits vertically to the left of the insignia.

"Congratulations," Katanas continues, watching as I examine the new identification card. "As of now, you are a Lieutenant in the Alchemy division, with all the rights and privileges that go along with the position."

My first thought upon seeing the card and new insignia is something akin to shock mixed with, of all things, paranoia – am I just being set up for a fall, or is someone having a joke at my expense? Reality comes back to me quickly, though, and I remember after a moment that I _did_ just help bring down someone who is effectively a goddess among men, so maybe I deserve this a bit more than I think.

"…Thank you," I finally say, putting the card down again. "What kind of changes does this mean for me? Responsibility-wise, I mean."

"For right now, very little, actually," Katanas replies. "Obviously, you now have a slightly higher security clearance, but you won't have any real command responsibilities to worry about just yet – those are reserved mostly for Majors and higher, sometimes Captains."

"So, mostly just a change of name with regards to duties, that kind of thing?"

"You could say that. Just another step up the ladder."

'_A deserved one,' _I think to myself, putting the identification card and insignia into my uniform's pants pocket. _'If I had to beat a goddess to get promoted to this kind of early rank, I wonder what I'll have to do to get promoted to Captain.'_

"Is that all, Katanas?" I ask a moment later, suddenly wanting to get out of the office. I'm definitely starting to feel a bit grumpier than usual, which means I probably need to eat something, and the headache isn't helping much with that.

"That will be all, Powell. Just keep doing your job well, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

A quick nod is the only thing that accompanies my rising from the chair, and I snap a quick salute before starting to head out of the office. I've only had one really good meal since yesterday, mostly because of my tendency to get wrapped up in things like Alchemy training and _forget _to eat, and my stomach is starting to realize that fact as well. I start to head towards the elevator even as I consider what I might want to get from the cafeteria, right before my rambling thoughts make a rather loud observation.

'_You idiot. You just got _promoted_, for Hyne's sake! Go out and have lunch at a nice restaurant for a change!'_

The more I think about it, the more appealing that idea sounds – I haven't gotten a chance to really look around Esthar yet, and I figure that given the size of the city, it's bound to have some nice places to eat. Guess that means it's time to take a little break and go explore a city. There's a slight tingle that runs over my body as I keep walking, and I let the energy flow as the entire world suddenly shifts around me after another step, the nearly-instant transition replacing the normal world around me with the exotic hues and environs of the Crystal Path.

* * *

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 4:37 PM]

* * *

"Vector Industries, you say?"

Darius DeValle, Sr. held his office phone to his ear, interested already at the mention of those two simple words. Those words didn't mean much in the minds of many people – just another business name that had sprung up in the growing economic world – but to a man like the Trabian Headmaster, they meant far, far more. Vector Industries was, in fact, a newly-growing business in the Esthar region, but the true interest to the Senior lay in _how_ _fast _it had grown. From the business' creation and institution in the region's capital city to the current time, it had only been a scant few years, with the business being founded – as best he remembered, at least – around the year 2146. Within one year, the business had established itself to be a company of the highest quality in Esthar. Within three years, it had risen to the top ten of the hundred most influential world companies. Within four years, it had begun taking contracts from the Estharian military.

All the power, the influence that the company had garnered, sat squarely in the hands of one company president by the name of Arthur Wilhelm.

"That is correct," the voice on the other end of the telephone line replied. "I've reason to believe that Vector Industries has been indulging in some rather…_unsavory_ business practices," they continued, pausing briefly as if unable to find a word that accurately described the subject at hand.

"Corporate espionage is neither new nor unheard of," Senior stated, his tone reverting to that of the shrewd businessman he so often was, "so I assume there is a reason as to why you would come to Garden with this information?"

"The information that I received which led me to this conclusion came from within Vector Industries' First R&D Division."

If Senior's attention was roused at the mention of Vector, it was fully alert now. Vector Industries' main complex was split into three working divisions, each of which carried their own duties and responsibilities like any other company. Vector's Second R&D Division was primarily dedicated to the construction, research, and contracting for various types of firearms, both ballistic and energy-based weaponry, and competed alongside companies like Videlic Arms in this regard. Despite Vector Industries' rapid growth in the past few years, Second R&D had so far been unable to outstrip Videlic Arms in both quality and quantity of their weapons, as Videlic supplied both to the Galbadian government and Galbadia Garden alongside other clients, such as the Estharian government. As such, they held a considerable share of the market when it came to weaponry, and their name was often associated with being the market leader for firearms of all kinds.

Vector's Third R&D Division was dedicated to the construction of high-tech, often-experimental designs. Often, these designs were created for military use – better armor and weaponry for personnel, modularly-designed equipment that could be quickly and easily deployed on a battlefield, or improved engines and frame construction for vehicles, among others. This division was often much more secretive about their work than Second R&D, for good reason; completed projects often garnered vast profits for both Vector itself and the companies buying the products, and all parties involved desired that information to be well-protected. Executive Outcomes was, at least recently, one of their largest competitors in this division's line of work due to the military-focused nature of many of their projects.

Vector's First R&D Division, however, was the most elaborate and secretive part of the company as a whole. First R&D handled experimental, high-risk, and cutting-edge technology products, products which often took months to design blueprints and prototypes for once the initial ideas had been formed and approved. They held a higher standing in the company than the other divisions, as well; First R&D had the power, internally, to requisition anything it needed from other divisions, regardless of importance. All information that entered First R&D was kept at the highest secrecy levels and classified such that only those working on a certain project, the division head and their assistant, and the president could access information on that project. Nothing left the division without knowledge and highly-secure protocols in place, and often never left the division at all.

That was why Senior knew that if something _had _left First R&D, especially if it were to fall into the hands of another company, there was an extremely good reason for confidentiality.

"I see…" Senior said, leaning forward in his chair. "What kind of contract are you interested in making with Garden?"

"While I have files that could incriminate Vector if taken to the Estharian Business and Safety Administration, I would like to have something more solid before I present this data – I fear they could simply claim, somehow, to not have known about these practices. If I present this, I want the evidence to be incontrovertible."

"Then you wish for Garden to acquire that evidence?" Senior asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. I know of the Senatorial Hall and Merchant's Alley branches of Trabia Garden, which is why my request was directed to you instead of Balamb or Galbadia. You are, in my opinion, best suited for the task I'm asking for."

Senior smiled faintly, pleased – they had done their homework beforehand, it seemed. "What kind of evidence, precisely, are you after?"

"Vector's First R&D, as you likely know, deals with highly-experimental projects, each worth millions of Gil on its own more often than not. Unusual monetary expenditures may not stick out as much in First R&D as they would in other divisions or businesses, but it is worth investigating. However, there is a particular project that alerted me to the potential unsavory practices I mentioned above – the information I have on it is scarce, you understand, but I have a project designation that you may look into, if you are willing to offer your help."

"Very well, then. If you'll hold one moment, I'll begin drawing up the contract now." The one on the other end of the line couldn't see the smile on Senior's face grow; dealings of this nature had high potential to be extremely lucrative, particularly if they wound up giving Vector a major issue with the Estharian government. If the information was as serious as it was made out to be, the rewards for such a find would be grand, indeed. "What is the designation of the project that we should look into?"

A sound like shuffling papers came from the other end of the line before the voice spoke again, seemingly beginning to read from a document. "Vector Industries First Research and Development Division…official project designation: KP-X Advanced Combat Gynoid. Serial number: zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-dash-one. Abbreviated name: KOS-MOS."

Senior's fingers moved smoothly over the keyboard in front of him as he made notes in the contract file he had pulled up on his desktop terminal, the phone now held between his ear and shoulder. "I'll need some personal information for our records in order to finalize the contract. What is your full, legal name?"

The shuffling of papers returned for a brief instant, presumably the papers from before being reorganized and filed away, before the voice came back over the phone crisply once more.

"James William Alnon."

* * *

Anyone happen to remember, around ten chapters ago, Tetsuya Kurabasa being asked to drop something off at his father's office? We'll be seeing exactly what that was all about in this arc, among other things.

As I mentioned above, my inspiration seems to have taken a dive lately because of some issues I'm working through at present, not just for this story, but for all my stories. I'm hoping it will pick up soon, but I can't say for sure. As always, please read and review.


	52. I, IV, III: Exile

There was a bit of a deliberate wait on my part to upload this; I had the chapter done around two weeks ago. However, I've been trying to write ahead in order to give myself a little leeway with updating. To that end, I can guarantee an update either next Friday or Saturday (I haven't decided which day yet). I seem to have a lot more inspiration for this part than I've been having, and I'm trying to take advantage of it while it lasts.

Begin!_  


* * *

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_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
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_Chapter III—Exile_

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[July 6, 2152 | Centra, Kramer Orphanage | 6:48 PM]

* * *

Destine valued few things ever since those long centuries ago when peace still ruled the Ethereal Plane, when Freya's rule wasn't openly being challenged by any _Erudite_ bold enough to make accusations and remain unscathed of her judgment.

Quiet was one of them. Even peace was ill-valued to the sorceress, as she had long since learned that peace was as much of an illusion as happiness.

After Will's visit the previous day, she had taken…a trip, of sorts, in order to do something that the mortals would call "soul-searching." The more she thought about Will's words, and the feelings behind them, the more she realized that it had been fifteen hundred years since she was really, truly happy and at peace. She told no one where she was going save for Will, who had suggested the idea to start, and that nagging voice in her mind that had become harder and harder to ignore over the centuries told her that it didn't matter, that she wouldn't be missed after what she'd done. Thus had she traveled, visiting an entirely different realm of existence outside of the Author's jurisdiction in hopes of finding the feelings she'd lost over the years…in hopes of regaining her humanity, as ironic as that sounded to a being that was as far above mortals as the sun was above the clouds. She'd seen…many things in that realm, time as meaningless to her as it was to the feelings she sought, but for all her knowledge, she found she didn't have the knowledge of whether she'd truly learned or merely watched, letting the emotions roll over her instead of _through _her. Fifteen hundred years of resentment and hatred towards not just the one she called "Mother," but many others of high rank in the plane had hardened her, finally leading up to the active attempt at revenge she had enacted, and she didn't know just what it would take to finally unfreeze her heart.

So, she was doing the only thing she knew to do in a situation like this – meditate. She sat peacefully on the grass in front of the abandoned orphanage, listening to the occasional sounds of birdsong or the rolling of the waves nearby, even the wind-blown grass around her. Her hands rested calmly on her knees as she thought, trying to get back in touch with both the world around her and the world within her. Inwardly, she was glad that she'd gotten over some of the self-loathing and hate that she'd come to identify with, but she knew best of all that she still had a long time to go before she could forgive herself, regardless of whether or not Freya had already done so. She felt, somehow, as if she needed to apologize to Fayt, as well – she was the youngest and weakest of the Pillars, by technicality, and Destine had treated her like a little sister in the past much as Will still treated both Fayt and Destine now.

The sudden flapping of wings caused her eyes to snap open, her meditation interrupted by the sounds of several birds taking off from the ground nearby. She scanned the area for a moment, seeing nothing around her that would've spooked the animals, and her eyes closed again as she started to once more relax into her meditative state.

"Destine."

Her eyes shot open again at the sudden voice from behind, her body leaping up and spinning rapidly as she took in the unfamiliar voice…or, at least, what she had _thought _was an unfamiliar voice. She almost rubbed her eyes in stark disbelief as to what she saw, convinced that she was seeing things due to all the personal reflection, but shock seemed to paralyze her as she stared at the figure before her, unable to blink or turn away. The first thing she noticed was the attire – black boots with a long, black cloak that revealed a faint bit of dark red fabric beneath it – but the _face_…

She'd seen the face a million times before, in every sleepless 'night' and every darkened corner when her anger and vengeance weren't controlling her. Memories, dreams, visions, anything and everything detached from reality had shown that visage to her, searing it into her memory and ensuring she'd never forget it. Destine didn't _want _to forget, no matter how much it hurt to remember.

"Arragious…" she breathed, unable to truly find her voice as she stared at the one person who had treated her like more than just the Pillar of Destiny.

"You sound as if you don't want to see me," Arragious Nicholai spoke, his shoulder-length dark hair waving as he started stepping towards the Pillar of Destiny. To Destine, nothing was further than the truth, considering how long it had been since she'd seen the Gilead Order's Captain-Commander – nearly three centuries had passed since Freya had forbidden him to return. She felt a spike of anger welling up inside of her at the memory, but forcefully pushed it down as she looked at the black-clad _Erudite_.

"This…isn't a good time," she finally said, watching as Arragious stopped a few feet in front of her…then noticing that something seemed subtly _off_ to her. She'd spent so long around Arragious that she couldn't begin to give a number in years, decades, even centuries, and she'd seen all of his myriad moods, the best and the worst of the Ethereal being before her. Likewise, he knew her as one might a well-read book; they had connected on a level that was beyond mere physicality or emotion, and each knew the other as well as they knew themselves.

It wasn't until he spoke again that she realized what she was feeling, what she was seeing about the man in front of her. It wasn't until his hand brushed aside the folds of his cloak to reveal the sheathed blades she knew he always kept that she saw underneath the words and emotions of the one before her.

"I know."

Arragious Nicholai was _angry._

In the next moment, she found she had no chance to question Arragious' actions or intentions, as they made themselves perfectly clear when the black-clad _Erudite_ lunged forward. A hilt without a blade that was held in his hand still, somehow, tore a sliver of fabric from Destine's clothes without making contact as she reacted, waves of fire instantly emanating from her body to deny the attack and attacker in equal measures. The mere sight of the blade brought back memories to her, soothing emotions clashing violently with the hatred that threatened to bubble back up and consume her even as she wondered why her once-lover was attacking her so. The blade was known as a "mesmeric blade," a special weapon crafted with a blade of pure magic and enchanted so as to be invisible in varying degrees to those with weak magical senses – those with little ability to sense magic would see barely an outline, if that, but someone like Destine could see the blade just as if it were made of tangible material. It was a unique weapon that few still used, which was one of the reasons why Arragious had chosen the blade many centuries ago.

Again, words failed the former Pillar of Destiny – she found that she just couldn't comprehend why Arragious would be attacking her, especially given their history together, despite the undeniable truth of the situation. Her body moved on reflex and honed senses rather than consciousness as Arragious attacked again, the magical blade glowing keenly in her sight as the curved weapon dove again for her chest. Lightning flashed brightly in front of her, a bolt striking the weapon in hopes of acting as a conductor only to be violently thrown off by a quick sweep of the blade as Arragious abandoned the attack.

"What's happened to you, Lady Destine?" Arragious asked, measuring Destine as he collected himself once again. "What happened to your fire – what happened to the witch that I admired so, all those long centuries ago…?"

"I could ask the same of you," Destine replied, feeling the anger start to build once again…no, not anger. Betrayal – betrayal by the man she once loved. She kept a tight grip on those feelings, though, refusing to let them pollute her again. She was above that now, above the indignation she'd once felt at the path that fate had chosen for her.

"You would ask that of me, knowing full well of my exile after the war?" Arragious said, his tone rising in intensity as his gaze grew colder. "Have you truly forgotten all that happened back then?"

"I've forgotten nothing," Destine countered, feeling her hackles rising alongside the volume of Arragious' voice. "Did _you_ forget about back then – about _us?_"

The only response she found was the point of Arragious' blade diving once more for her as he darted forward, grass trampled under the soles of his heavy boots as he moved. A rapid burst of magic redirected his blade aside, forcing him back a step even as another ball of raw energy seared towards him. His strikes continued to rain down upon Destine – a cut, a stab, a slice, a thrust, all parried elegantly by perfectly-timed bursts of magic…

…up until the second blade cleared its sheath in the aftermath of a particularly blinding burst, cutting out below the level of Destine's arms and shallowly ripping across her torso. She staggered back at the sudden sharp pain, reflexively letting loose with another fiery burst in an orb around her that forced Arragious to retreat again or be scorched by the flames.

"You're playing with me," she remarked sternly, her eyes piercing Arragious. "If you're going to fight me, fight like you mean it." Arragious smirked, his mind wandering back to one of the first times they'd met when the Gilead Order was instated. He'd said almost the same thing to her back then, when he was testing her worthiness to be even the liaison to the prestigious order.

"How times have changed."

The second blade returned to its sheath, leaving only one of the curved blades in Arragious' hands as he started to pace in front of Destine.

"So serious, so angry…all that fire comes from hate now, it seems, instead of the joy for life you used to have. Did you finally learn to see the world as I have? Or is there something more lurking behind that mask that you wear so proudly, witch?"

The flash of emotion that flew across Destine's face was akin to a physical flinch.

"…I'm not like you," she said coldly, a small part of her protesting the statement only to be forcefully crushed in its objections.

"So you're not," Arragious stated casually, moving his robe aside slightly and allowing the blade in his hand to fall back into the sheath. "Or so you want to claim. I saw what you did here. I watched as you manipulated and calculated in order to get your way, to have a chance at taking down the Creator…or, once again, so you claimed."

"Shut up…"

Destine could feel the anger building again, and this time, it _was _anger, she knew, rage directed at the one person she'd once loved.

"Look at yourself. Shunned by everyone you thought may have cared about you, betrayed by the one who once loved you…you've fallen further and harder than I ever did, witch."

"Shut up…"

"This is reality. They've cast you out, like they did me – there's no going back for you, no forgiveness, just the harsh realization that your life is just a fragment of everything it used to be, that you're just as alone as I am now."

Destine felt the tenuous grasp she had on her temper snap like a worn rubber band.

"_Shut up!"_

Her hands rose again, magic gathering in them for a spell, any spell…only to stop, Arragious' hand firmly around her throat and cutting off her air before she even realized he had moved.

"I want you to deliver a message…to Freya, and all those who wronged me all those years ago. I want you to tell them that the exile of the Gilead Order has returned, and that it's time for them to pay their dues."

She gasped as he shoved her backwards, letting her fall roughly to the ground as he turned away from her, seemingly unconcerned any longer with her.

"…Why…?" she choked out, looking up towards Arragious' back. "Why do this, after so long? Why do this to _me?_"

She didn't know how long she sat there, waiting for a response that never came, but it felt like an eternity as she hoped against hope. Arragious' form vanished with the wind, leaving Destine sitting on the ground, feeling alone and helpless in a way that she'd never felt before.

* * *

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Training Center | 7:07 PM]

* * *

"You ready?"

My words ring loudly and clearly in the rather-deserted area of the training center that I'm standing in, reverberating in the open air as I stretch out my arms and legs. The trip to Esthar had been mostly uneventful with the exception of a careless driver, one who nearly ran me over while I tried to cross one of the unusual and colorful roads in the city. It left me with a passionate desire to exercise my magic and ice the entire vehicle over until it sank back to the ground from its hovering position, preferably while at a high rate of speed, also proving to me that bad drivers exist even across dimensions – another fact that makes the world feel just that much less unusual.

"Funny – I was gonna ask you that, what with all the acrobatics you're doing over there," Tetsuya's voice calls back, carrying an amused note with it.

"Junctions are no excuse not to stretch properly," I deadpan, ignoring the quip and moving back to a more normal standing position. Ever since the field exam, Tetsuya and I have gotten used to having sparring matches in-between or after classes every so often, in order to both to keep ourselves in shape between missions and class work as well as to just practice our styles of fighting. I've noticed ever since we began practicing that Tetsuya's style of fighting is a lot like how I used to fight, back on Spira – the kind of style I'm starting to move away from now. He favors a lot of heavy strikes, seeming to try and make every blow the last one in a fight and just overpower anyone and everyone he fights. Even his magic is like that; much like Darius, he seems to have an inordinate fondness for Lightning-element magic, though he's not shy about using Fire or Earth-elemental spells either.

I've finally started to figure out that the heavy-hitting style of fighting isn't the type of fighting that's really suited for someone like me. The fight I had with Destine served as somewhat of the final evidence for that, after all the SeeD training and the few missions I have under my belt now. Instead of trying to take an opponent out of the fight with every swing – especially someone that can stand up to lots of punishment, like Tetsuya or any average junctioned SeeD – I'm better off just biding my time and trying to wear them down as the fight drags on. My speed and agility really are my best assets, all things considered, and I would be stupid to not try and play to that. The junctions I have now are primarily tailored for endurance, in order to make sure I can last long enough to have my strategies work, and I've been working on using my Alchemy both offensively and defensively in order to come up with better ways to attack and defend, even to do both at once.

"Let's see if you can trip me up this week," I call, removing one of my twin blades from its sheath. "You had to have learned _something_ new by now!"

"Hey, if it's working, why change a good thing?" he replies, taking out the bulky form of the gunblade he prefers to carry on him. His gunblade, the _Punishment_ model, is almost solid-black in coloration, featuring the revolver-styled hilt that I've come to associate with gunblades as well as a uniquely-styled blade, edged on both top and bottom with open space in the middle of the blade itself that runs about two-thirds of the way down from the blade's tip. The blade looks somewhat heavier than it actually is, though it's still quite heavy – a couple pounds, easily, though I've never actually weighed it – which makes the strikes have an incredible amount of force behind them when the concussive force shells are added into the mix. Thankfully, Tetsuya keeps his gunblade unloaded for our training bouts, since our bouts are more about trying out techniques and perfecting our forms rather than actually hurting each other.

"Can never be too careful," I say, shrugging and lifting my blade up to rest on my shoulder. "Whenever you're ready!"

_(Play: Full Frontal Assault (Tetsuya's Battle Theme) – norg, SnappleMan; OverClocked Remix: Voices of the Lifestream)_

Tetsuya is the first to move, bringing his gunblade up and then swinging it down into the ground as green energy flows from it, causing the ground between us and under me to begin to rip itself apart as the _Quake _magic infuses itself into the earth. The dirt beneath me collapses several feet as I move, bounding forward and leaping off of a chunk of rock that rises in front of me in order to take to the air before charging and firing a _Blizzard _spell downward. Tetsuya's gunblade swings across, slapping the spell away like another piece of dirt as I land, only to immediately reverse its momentum and dive towards my chest. My blade snaps up to block immediately, causing my entire arm to shake for an instant as the heavy blade meets my much smaller sword. In a straight battle of strength, Tetsuya can beat me easily whether junctioned or not, something that he's demonstrated several times before.

I break the lock after a second or two, leaping back and taking a moment to regain my focus and let my arm regain feeling again. Tetsuya isn't as relaxed, knowing that he has the initiative now, and immediately channels energy back into his blade, causing it to begin glowing red as it becomes enchanted with Fire-elemental energy. He charges again as the magic finishes taking hold, sweeping the blade out before raising it again and letting it swing down in a powerful vertical arc. This time, I don't bother blocking, instead sliding out of the way as the gunblade impacts the ground beside me and shifting my sword into my left hand as I move. The circle on my right hand shimmers, and I press my hand to the ground quickly, beginning to transmute the ground around us from earth to ice in order to use it as a weapon. In actuality, I'm not really transforming the dirt itself into ice, but rather drawing out the moisture in the ground and then freezing that into ice which overlays the ground. The newly-formed ice suddenly begins to take on a life of its own, reaching up in stabbing points that lunge for Tetsuya, and the look of surprise on his face makes me smile right before several of the formed spears are decimated by one swing of the fiery gunblade.

"Using Alchemy already?" he asks, also moving back so as to be out of my attack's immediate area of effect. "Not like you to be pressed so soon!"

"Pressed? Please!" I retort, smirking and standing back up from my kneeling position. "I haven't even used my second katana yet!" In truth, I wish my transmutation had been faster; it took two or three seconds for it to complete and actually attack, which is much slower than I'd care to have it work in the heat of combat. The sword in my left hand starts to glow with energy right before I slice out vertically, sending a thin wave of energy towards Tetsuya that he casually avoids – or, at least, what passes for casually to a trained and junctioned SeeD.

"Oh, so you just want to get serious? Alright…" he says, expression widening into a grin as the gunblade rises back to rest on his shoulder. "Let's get serious, then!"

I can feel a telltale increase in the amount of magical energy in the air, but I see no signs of Tetsuya casting a spell at all up until faint traces of yellow-colored energy begin coalescing around his body. His body tenses as the energy becomes more pronounced, covering more and more of his form, and I can see the energy almost beginning to crackle across his clothing and skin, faintly like…

…like _lightning_, actually.

Hesitantly, I take a step back, not quite sure what to make of the change. I'm no mage, so I can't really tell much about what effect it might have just by looking at it, so all I can do is hope to figure it out during the fight.

"Ready to go?" he says, pointing his gunblade out towards me again as sparks of energy flicker over the blade.

"Sure your _hair _isn't gonna turn yellow, too?" I ask, smiling pleasantly…but at the same time, reaching for the second sword at my waist. Whatever he's done, I've never seen it before, so I don't want to take any chances.

"You're a regular comedian," he replies dryly, right before taking off towards me once again with the gunblade held out front and close to his body. I steady my stance, ready for another rather direct attack…right before my eyes widen as red fire erupts around his body, Tetsuya's _Haste _magic propelling him forward faster than I expected and forcing me to block the downward strike that flies in rather than evade it. If the force from the last strike I blocked was painful, this strike is downright murderous – if I hadn't blocked with both blades, I'm fairly sure he would've just broken straight through my guard. The gunblade slips off my crossed swords as I back off again, calling up _Haste _magic of my own, and I can see the ground shatter in a small area in front of me as the gunblade's tip impacts the dirt. The weapon flies back up remarkably fast, but by that time my own spell is taking effect, letting me react normally again as my reflexes and thoughts speed up. A quick parry leaves me free to slide around his gunblade, transmutation circle flashing again as I start to draw moisture from the air, condensing it into a semi-solid form. While I haven't gotten incredibly good with normal creation, alteration, or destruction Alchemy yet, using elemental Alchemy for something like this isn't much more difficult than what I normally do with spells. The air around me grows cold as bits of frost and ice start to rapidly swirl around me, combining with the residual magic in the Alchemy to form a sort of icy cloak – in theory, it should help defend me from attack by taking some of the force out of any strikes that get through, but that's still just a theory right now.

I may as well see what happens in practice while I have a chance.

The next few seconds are a blur of flashing blades and ice as Tetsuya's attack escalates, the speed-enhancing magic around both of us rendering our movements blurry to normal eyes. Both my blades swing in only to be parried and knocked aside by the heavy gunblade, followed by a retaliatory strike that cuts in and slices away a piece of the icy cloud around me seemingly without resistance. My right-hand blade begins to glow with watery energy as I focus, aiming to both give myself a quick means of attack if needed, but my follow-up swing is deftly evaded as he jumps back suddenly, the crackling energy around his blade suddenly increasing drastically. Before I fully realize what's happening, the blade is swung downward, a motion which causes the electrical energy around it to arc out into two fang-like shapes that dive for me, attracted immediately to all the water around me. As the electricity arcs through my body – he purposely used little power to not hurt me greatly – I can't help but think about how much electricity is a terrible weakness for me, given that all my Alchemy relies on the presence of water or some form of moisture, which make for excellent conductors.

'_This armor won't do anything if the blade doesn't actually _strike_ it,' _I think to myself, trying to get my muscles to listen again after the jolt of Lightning-elemental energy. _'He knows to play the range game until it wears off.' _Hoping to buy some time, I reach inside my mind and touch the spirit residing there, calling up its power even as Tetsuya decides to strike again. The energy builds around his blade like a static charge as he holds the gunblade out with both hands, letting the energy gather as he braces himself. In the next instant, the energy leaps forward like a cannon shot, forming into a glittering, sparking beam of energy that crosses the distance between us in barely a second…only to explode violently in front of me as both the icy shroud around me and a newly-erected shield of transparent force before me absorb the blow. I smile as the energy inside me builds to a satisfactory point, and the alchemized ice around me dissolves into so much water and falls back to the ground as the shield disappears. The temperature around me suddenly drops sharply as the ground in front of me ices over, bits of frost and snow giving way to a massive ice crystal that suddenly bursts from the ground. It shatters musically a moment later, revealing the form of a blue-skinned woman with white markings on her skin – the Guardian Force Shiva, which causes Tetsuya's eyes to widen as the energy around her starts to build. While Guardian Forces have an inherent weakness in that the summoning can be stopped if the protective shield around their summoner takes too much damage before the GF itself manifests, they are also capable of being stopped _after _summoning just like anything else; they may be incredibly difficult to hurt, being only manifestations of their true form on the mortal plane, but those manifestations can still be damaged and forced to fade by injuring them enough.

Tetsuya also knows that fact, and though I can't see him for Shiva and the swirling ice in front of me, I can feel the increasing magical energy across from me that tells me he's preparing something big. The ball of frost in Shiva's hands seems to have grown powerful enough for the Guardian Force's liking, and I can only watch as she unleashes the torrent of snow and ice in Tetsuya's direction, a localized blizzard meant to engulf the SeeD in front of her. The energy I was feeling spikes briefly, and I can suddenly see a red-hot flash of power in front of Shiva, apparently some kind of Fire-element magic from Tetsuya that crashes into the oncoming wall of frost. There's a brief moment of the two elements warring for dominance right before the energy simply erupts in the center in a large explosion, forcing me to shield my eyes and making me want to cover my ears as the area is engulfed in light, noise, and magical energy. Bushes and trees around us shake as if being hit by a hurricane, the energy stripping leaves and even some branches away like mere twigs or blades of grass.

When the storm of power dies down, I take a look at the area around me, immediately noticing that Shiva is gone. Granted, I expected that, given the massive release of energy that happened as well as the tendency of Guardian Forces to not manifest for long. However, what I don't expect to see is that Tetsuya isn't immediately visible either.

"Did he get pushed into the trees…?" I whisper to myself, looking around the area in hopes of seeing him. My vision's just a tiny bit hazy from the leftover magic and dust in the air, and so I cast a quick _Blizzard _spell onto the ground beside me, ready to use the ice for a defensive Alchemy move if he decides to surprise attack. A second later, a blade dives at me from the side, forcing me to spin and raise my blades to block again, also realizing in the process that I need more time to react in order to use my limited Alchemy skills right now.

'_What…?'_

I backpedal for a moment, surprised at what my eyes are seeing – I had expected to see Tetsuya, but that's most certainly not who I'm seeing right now. Instead of Tetsuya's white trenchcoat, SeeD uniform, and black-colored gunblade, my eyes are instead gazing upon the flowing white shirt and pants and heavy, rhombus-shaped greatsword of Revolver DeValle. My surprise lasts only for a fraction of a second as the blade dives in again, parried quickly by a wild swing from my left blade as I leap back further in order to rationalize what I'm seeing.

'_What happened to Tetsuya…he must be in the bushes after that attack,' _I think to myself, countering an incoming _Fire _spell with _Water_ magic of my own. _'Revolver must've been watching, and decided to interfere…that's it. I'll wrap this up, get Tetsuya, and figure out why he bothered jumping in.'_

I'm not sure whether it's the sudden change in combatants or the adrenaline that's making my thoughts jump so, but as it turns out, I don't have much time to worry about it. The thick, rectangular blade arcs out a third time as Revolver closes the distance, fire wrapping around the blade again only to be angrily met by my own blades and shoved back as I decide to go back on the offensive. I'm still a little miffed about how easily he beat me when I first came to Garden, and I certainly don't intend to give him the satisfaction of doing it again. Another wave of energy is gathered into my blade and fired as quickly as I can manage, then sliced in half by the rectangular weapon in the blacksmith's hand. By that time, however, I'm in front of him again, lashing out angrily with both blades in a rapid flurry of attacks that sets him back on the defensive. One strike gets through, cutting a gash in his shirt and drawing just a bit of blood, and I finally let up as _Protect _magic flashes into existence around him. Seizing the opportunity, I draw on my Blade Knight skills and start to focus as dark energy swirls around me, leaking out and beginning to encompass the area in pitch-blackness. Revolver looks momentarily surprised as the spell begins to take effect, with good reason – the field of darkness should be making it rather hard for him to see right now, while I can still see just fine, which means he'll have to mainly rely on his hearing for the moment.

The blacksmith doesn't make a move as the magical darkness settles over him, which suits me just fine, leaving me free for the moment to cast _Haste _magic on myself again and prepare to attack. Once the spell has taken effect, I start to run back towards Revolver, leading with a _Blizzard _spell that he just barely manages to block. Unfortunately for him, the combination of the block and the field of darkness gives me a much bigger opening than I would've had otherwise, and my right sword rakes across his chest suddenly, causing him to stagger back as the field begins to wear off. Realizing that I won't get any more advantage from hindered visibility at the moment, I let out a yell and slide around towards his left side, cutting out again and just missing as he twists aside, arm rising over my blade. The thick greatsword comes down again in a chopping motion that smashes into my left blade, causing my entire arm to shake from the impact. He presses harder, and my left arm suddenly gives way from the strain, letting his sword finish coming down to tear a gash vertically down the left side of my shirt and chest. The sudden pain makes me flinch, but only serves to infuriate me more as I step back, rapidly sheathing my right hand's blade and calling up magical energy in my now-free hand. My _Firaga _spell explodes nearly in Revolver's face, the blacksmith just managing to shield his face with his left arm and let it take the brunt of the blast instead, an action which leaves his sleeve and part of his shirt scorched and blackened. I don't give him a chance to retaliate, though, and press the attack, leaping forward and kicking out towards his stomach with my enhanced strength. I wind up clipping the flat of his blade, but the momentum behind the kick still knocks him to the ground, and I'm following him even as he falls, sword poised to come down and strike a final blow if he –

"Hey, hey, hey! Lay off, geez – what in Hyne's name are you doing?"

_(End: Full Frontal Assault (Tetsuya's Battle Theme) – norg, SnappleMan; OverClocked Remix: Voices of the Lifestream)_

The voice that carries through the air is both remarkably close and not Revolver's, serving to break me out of the trance that I seemed to have gone into during the last minute or two. My eyes focus again on the person I'm standing over, sword undoubtedly a bit too close to their neck for their liking, and my mind suddenly comprehends that I'm standing over _Tetsuya_, not Revolver like I was just thinking. I jerk back almost as if I was slapped, stumbling back for a moment as my heart pounds away in my chest and my hand shakes.

"I…what happened to Revolver…?" I mutter, trying to make some sense out of what just happened.

"Revolver?" Tetsuya asks, starting to stand up and holding one hand over the cut across his chest. "What are you talking about?"

Now I really _am _breathing heavily, and it's not just from the exertion…was I just seeing things? Was Revolver ever really here, or did my mind just make the whole thing up? I had to be hallucinating – that's the only explanation, to me, and I don't like anything that it implies.

"…Hey, it's okay…I mean, you didn't hurt me t -"

"No, it's _not _okay!" I snap, now thoroughly freaked out. I've never once had anything like this happen to me, either before or after I first went to Spira, and I don't know what to think of it. "I…I just…need to go, go somewhere…"

I can't see the look on my face, but I'm pretty sure that it's not making Tetsuya feel any more calm about the situation. "…You want me to come?" he asks, looking just a bit unnerved by my rapid change in demeanor and cautiously taking a step forward.

"No!" I yell, holding up a hand to stop him. "No…I'm fine, just…I just need some time to think, is all," I say, lowering my voice again and turning away. I just want to be somewhere, _anywhere _but here right now, until I can figure out what's going on. I don't even think about what I'm doing as I start to walk away, focusing on my extraplanar abilities as I step onto the Crystal Path, sword still gripped tightly in one hand even though I'm not sure I trust myself to have it drawn right now. I'll just go back to my room and try to calm down, try to figure out what could cause me to be seeing things in the middle of a training match…even though I'm sure that I won't like any of the possible answers I come up with.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Palace of Creation]

* * *

Destine stepped through the shining halls of Freya's palace, unsure even to herself what emotion was fueling her steps – simmering anger, or choking sorrow. Step after step, she kept moving, afraid of what she might do if she let herself turn back. _Erudite_ moved out of her way as she passed, some knowing of what she had done and giving her wide berth as if she were a plague to be avoided, others moving from her path respectfully but quietly without acknowledgment. She locked eyes with none of the _Erudite_, her mind focused by some combination of the emotions inside her as she made her way towards Freya's chambers. At the same time, her mind was strangely disoriented – hallways passed in a blur as she moved, unusually unable to focus on her surroundings but instinctively knowing the way, almost like walking in a daze.

Which, to be certain, may not have been far from the truth.

Her ears picked up whispers that she was sure were about her, about what she had done on the mortal plane and tried to do to her own Creator…or perhaps they were delusions. She couldn't tell in her state; her every thought seemed to be focused either on her own failings or what had caused the failings of others. The thoughts only made her rage and sorrow stronger, ever increasing the stew of conflicting emotions inside her.

"Halt," one of Freya's guards stated as she approached, halberd rising to block the door from Destine's reach. "Lady Freya –"

"– needs to hear what I have to say," Destine finished firmly, interrupting the guard. She had little patience for interference at present, even less so than usual. Apparently, the guard could read the frustration and anger that was becoming evident on her face, for he offered no further objections. The ornate polearm slid aside again, and the doors to Freya's chamber began to open, being pushed aside smoothly by Destine to speed their opening as she moved forward. Freya looked up at the sudden entry, surprised but not showing feelings of unease at Destine's entry. The former Pillar noticed that neither one of Freya's advisers were present, something that was a rarity in her memory. One of them was usually with the Creator more often than not, often both, unless they were engaged directly with their respective forces.

'_Does she already know?' _Destine wondered, stepping before Freya. Unlike most, she did not bow or kneel; both actions implied subservience, and Destine had never been one to admit that she was the servant of another, no matter how benevolent.

"Destine," Freya began, her expression returning to the kind and serene one she usually held. "I am surprised to see you here after what Will spoke of."

"…I wouldn't have come back yet, but this is too important for me not to," she responded quietly. No matter how much she refused to show subservience, shame was a different matter entirely. "I won't waste time. I was told to bring a message to you…from the Exile."

"Arragious Nicholai?" Freya questioned. "What message has the Exile sent?"

"He's…angry," Destine said, suddenly feeling as if she didn't even want to mention his name. "He said to tell you that he has returned, and that the ones who wronged them would soon pay their dues."

Freya didn't react with surprise or anger at Destine's words, merely…resignation, as if she'd known what Destine had relayed was inevitable and that she was only ignorant of when it would occur. "I expected this to happen at some time," she said, her voice quieting. "He has come for revenge, as I always knew he would. I would do the same, were I he."

Destine was surprised to hear the one she regarded as her 'mother' say something of that nature, but her other emotions dampened that surprise almost to nothing in the eyes of observers. "He…attacked me, on the mortal plane. I wasn't his target…just his messenger."

"You are uninjured?" Freya asked, earning a slight shake of the head from Destine. "That is good to hear. I will have Lord Odin and Lord Xeios prepare their warriors immediately. If the Exile truly is bound for a course of revenge, we will need to deal with it appropriately. I am glad that you brought this information to me so quickly, Destine."

The dark-haired sorceress said nothing, only nodding briefly before turning to leave, ready to be out of the room and away from the shame and sadness she felt. Before she could pass through the doors, however, Freya's voice again stopped her.

"Destine…are you well?" Freya asked, concern filling her voice as she looked at the back of her 'daughter.' Destine's head slowly turned back towards Freya, her eyes seeming weary and her smile full of sadness.

"No…not really."

_(Play: Passion ~after the battle~ _–_ Utada Hikaru, Kingdom Hearts II)_

It was as if someone had opened a floodgate on her emotions, letting everything pour out right then and flood her mind as she turned back towards Freya, unable to contain herself any longer.

"Everything I know is falling apart…it's all been falling apart, ever since the war, ever since you exiled Arragious, ever since this whole plane was nearly torn apart for the worst reasons!" she cried, eyes starting to fill with tears. "I lost the only person who ever really loved me, I lost the respect that everyone had for me, and now I've had that same person tear down every good memory that I ever had about the person I used to be! Haven't I suffered enough without being forced to look at him and know that he's right – that my life's not even worth living now?"

Freya looked down at her subject…no, her _daughter_…with an expression full of remorse. She had spent far too long, it seemed, worrying about only the stability and safety of the plane that she had never noticed the pain that the ones closest to her were going through. Even as she watched Destine, she realized that she should have known all along that Destine was affected more than she let on, that she was feeling as much hurt from the decision's effects as Freya felt from making the decision herself.

Quietly, she stepped down from her throne and moved across the tiled floor before reaching out and putting her arms around Destine, embracing her like the mother figure that the Pillar saw her as.

"Destine…never say that. There is always hope, even in the darkest times, wherever there is life. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I regret the decisions I made back then. My only hope was that it was all for the best, regardless of how it seemed at the time…but I know now that I was wrong. If only I had been a better leader, this may never have come to pass, but the past cannot be changed." The blond-haired Creator finally released Destine from her embrace, seeing the tearful eyes of her daughter mixed with surprise that she would admit those things, but kept going anyway, knowing that she needed to be honest with both her daughter and herself now more than ever.

"The future, however, _can_ be changed. I promise you that I will do all I can to see this to a peaceful end. Arragious was once someone that I trusted as much as I trust you, and I am ashamed that I could have ever done something to break that trust."

Destine was at a loss for words. Never in a million years had she expected Freya to openly say that she still trusted her, considering what she had just tried to do to both the Creator and her position. "You're…not serious, are you?" she finally asked.

"Why would I lie to you about this, Destine?" Freya responded, looking her in the eyes. "What you did was wrong, that much is certain, but I understand _why _you acted as you did. Whether to forgive you or not was mine to decide, and I have chosen to forgive."

_(End: Passion ~after the battle~ _–_ Utada Hikaru, Kingdom Hearts II)_

Destine's mouth opened as she started to speak, but she found herself interrupted by the opening of the doors to Freya's chamber from behind her. She turned quickly to see the cause, finding a sole figure entering the room that, after a few seconds of examination, seemed almost familiar despite the fact that she was sure she'd never seen before. It was a young-looking woman with pale skin and dark hair past her shoulders, similar-looking to Destine's own appearance in passing. Her attire was plain by the standards of elaborate dress that many in the plane favored, merely a simple sleeveless white dress that fell to her ankles along with a blue sash that tied at the waist, but the attire was not what caught Destine's attention. The power that she could feel radiating from the woman was innately familiar to Destine – the power of the Pillar of Destiny, marking her as the recipient of Destine's own powers when they were taken by Freya.

"I am glad you came, Lady Nicholai," Freya said, greeting the woman with a polite nod that was met with a formal bow.

"I couldn't just ignore the request, not after…what you did for me," she stated, looking over at Destine. "Who…?"

"Nicholai," Destine broke in suddenly, looking at the girl beside her with a voice full of surprise. "…Kitaras?"

"Yes, Destine," Freya interjected, speaking before Kitaras could. "This is your daughter, Kitaras. I offered her the powers of your station in your absence, so as to preserve the balance of this plane."

Destine suddenly felt as if a great weight had lifted from her shoulders upon hearing Freya speak. Her daughter…she'd never known if she had done the right thing when she had sent her to the mortal plane to live in the war's aftermath, but seeing her now just assured her that her choice had been the correct one. Without thinking, she walked over to Kitaras and wrapped her in an embrace, just as Freya had previously done to her.

"I'm…sorry…I'm sorry that I never told you about any of this," she whispered, holding Kitaras close. "I just didn't know what to do, not after everything that happened."

"…It's not your fault," Kitaras said, suddenly not sure how to feel. She'd grown up on the streets of Timber, with no one that truly cared until she'd fled to Deling City, finding hospitality in the unlikely hands of Vinzer Deling. She was used to having no one, to being alone and in the shadows, but now…she was suddenly back outside in the light, looking at the face of the mother that she was sure she'd never see.

"I've got…a lot to tell you," Destine said, letting go of Kitaras and stepping back with an honest smile on her face for the first time in a long time.

"I'm sure," Kitaras replied, nodding. "There's so much about this place I don't know. I've only been here a short time…at least, I _think_ it's been a short time."

"Nearly two days have passed in the mortal plane," Freya explained. "I will allow you both all the time you wish to speak with one another, but I must attend to this matter first. Kitaras, you were summoned for a reason," she continued, looking between mother and daughter. "I believe that Destine is once again worthy to hold the powers of the Pillar of Destiny." Destine's eyes turned back towards Freya in surprise, but she held her tongue, believing that she couldn't say anything that hadn't either been said already or intuited by the Creator.

"I understand," the young _Erudite_ said. No matter how kind and amiable the Creator acted towards her, she couldn't help but have a spike of nervousness while around her – perhaps it was the new senses that she now possessed that made it so.

"Destine, are you prepared to retake your station and resume your duties to the Ethereal Plane?" the Creator asked, looking over towards Destine. She didn't know if Destine was ready to take back her powers and responsibilities, but the fact that she was here was a good sign in her mind.

"I…"

She hesitated – _was _she ready? She would've liked nothing more than to simply leave and find somewhere in the realm where she could escape to until she felt unashamed enough to return, but…

Freya trusted her. Even after all she'd done, all the years of constrained scorn and silent hate, the open rebellion and attack on not just her subjects, but Freya herself…Freya was willing to forgive her, to give her another chance to use her life for better things.

"…I am."

Freya smiled, her hand rising towards the younger _Erudite_.

"Then let it be so."

Energy began flowing from the _Erudite's_ body, keeping her still as it streamed out of her form and towards Destine, infusing her once again with the powers that she'd grown used to feeling inside of her over the centuries. To her, it was like having one's sense of sight or hearing restored, a vast improvement of senses that felt dull and unused all at once that almost left her dizzy from the feeling. She hadn't realized just how used to the power she'd become until it had left her, and she felt a rush of joy at its return.

"Thank you for becoming the Pillar of Destiny in Destine's absence, Lady Nicholai," Freya spoke, earning a polite nod and a smile from the young woman. To Kitaras, it was all worth it for the look on her mother's face alone.

Destine looked towards Freya as she felt her power return fully, trying to find the words to adequately convey what she wanted to say. Finally, she said the only thing she could, the simple statement saying more than the words themselves implied.

"Thank you…Mother."

* * *

I had a lot of fun with this chapter, particularly the last piece with Destine - this is the first time that Freya has really shown any kind of motherly affection for any of the Pillars. Until now, she'd never really gotten over what she did to Destine, indirectly, after the last war by exiling Arragious. Destine, for her part, was too caught up in bitterness to bother really speaking to Freya about it or trying to understand, and it only made the tension between them and Freya's feelings worse as time went on.

Well, as I stated, there will be an update at the end of next week, either Friday or Saturday. As always, please read and review.


	53. I, IV, IV: Precautions

It seems my assessment was a little off; I had some things to deal with this weekend that pushed the date back a day. Work is continuing on the next chapters, and I'm hoping to have 54 out by next Sunday.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter IV—Precautions_

_

* * *

_

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 9:50 AM]

* * *

The sound of my uniform's shoes clacking on the tiled floor of the Garden's hallway seems to match the elevated pounding of my heart as I head towards the Commander's office here on the third floor. I barely slept any last night, so worried was I about what had happened earlier yesterday evening, which means that I probably look terrible, even though I can't find much reason to care about that at the moment. I wracked my brain trying to find an explanation for why it might have happened, but the only one that occurred to me was that somehow, when Will gave me his power and then took it back, it affected me in some form. The worst part about it, to me, is that the idea of Will's power harming me might be one of the _better _outcomes; I spent a lot of the night worrying that I might be showing symptoms of some crippling neurological disease or some such.

"Do you need something?" Ein says, shaking me out of my thoughts suddenly. I'd gotten caught up again and didn't realize I was already nearly at Katanas' office, it seems.

"I need to talk to Katanas," I say, as calmly as I can manage. "It's…important."

"Is it something I can help you with?" he asks, giving me a quizzical and innocent look. For someone who could be as nosy as they wanted with good reason, Ein seems to avoid doing that – he honestly seems like he wants to help with whatever he can.

"I…maybe," I say, deciding to see what he thinks. "Can you take me off the active duty roster? For…I don't know…a week or two?"

"Well, usually we _do _have people talk to the Commander about that, unless it's really important," he replies after a moment, nodding lightly. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, and that's the problem," I remark, sighing. "I could just wait to speak to Katanas. It has to do with…Will, and maybe Destine. I don't really know," I continue, lowering my voice a bit.

"Oh…" Ein starts, nodding understandingly. "I'll let him know you want to see him, if you want to wait?"

"Yeah…that'll work. Thanks, Ein."

Quietly, I walk over towards one of the chairs outside in this part of the hallway and sit down, suddenly feeling like a patient sitting in a doctor's office. I hadn't realized until now how much trouble could come from being a Planeswalker, and not just of the "threat to the world or universe" kind, either. It's hard to not have anyone to talk to about things because either they can't know, or because you would have to spend hours explaining before you could even bother talking to them for real. Add that on to the fact that I haven't seen Yuna or the others much lately at all, and I'm almost starting to feel a bit lonely despite being in a Garden with close to eight thousand people.

I suddenly have to suppress a groan as something comes back to me – when I left Tetsuya yesterday, I didn't just leave, I _Planeswalked_, which means that he's almost certainly going to find me and start asking questions about that. Probably today, if I know him, and I'm not sure I'm going to feel like answering anything about my station if or when he does. Burying my face in an Alchemy book and not coming out of my quarters for a week is starting to sound more and more like a good idea. Instead, I settle for a frustrated sigh that doesn't seem too out of place given my general mood before leaning back in the chair and closing my eyes, deciding to at least try to relax while I wait.

"Lieutenant?"

The sound of Ein's voice causes me to dazedly open my eyes again, realizing in the process that I fell asleep in the chair – not surprising, given my total lack of sleep last night. I also don't wear a watch, and don't see a clock around anywhere, so I don't know how long I've been asleep.

"…Yeah?" I reply, still trying to shake myself awake and focus fully.

"The Commander said that he'll see you now," Ein says, motioning towards the door to Katanas' office. Nodding, I stand up from the chair and stretch for a moment before walking towards Katanas' door, only to have it open before I arrive.

"Pleasure to see you," I hear Katanas say from inside, right before a man of average build with short, black hair and a blue sweater exits the room, nodding politely to Ein before stepping around me and continuing on down the hall. Strangely, he's holding one arm across his stomach, like he injured himself on the way here or such.

'_Must be another client,' _I think to myself, stifling a yawn with my free hand as I step inside the door to Katanas' office.

"Commander?" I ask, not wanting to enter without saying something.

"Lieutenant," he says, looking up for a moment from his computer's screen to acknowledge my entry. "Please, have a seat."

Quickly, I shut the door behind me, both out of habit and for privacy's sake before stepping over and taking a seat in front of Katanas' desk.

"Ein tells me that you have a bit of a problem," Katanas continues, giving me his full attention. I'm sure Ein already told him exactly what the issue was – likely while I was asleep – so I decide not to waste any more of Katanas' time than necessary.

"I…want to be taken off active duty for a while," I reply, nodding. "Two weeks, maybe – not long, but…there's something wrong with me, and I don't know what it is."

"Elaborate."

"I think that taking Will's power might have…done something to me," I continue, noticing Katanas' switch in tone from casual to commanding and businesslike. "Yesterday, I had a sparring match with Tetsuya Kurabasa in the training center downstairs. Soon after it started, I used a Guardian Force to attack him, and…I started hallucinating, I think. I wasn't fighting Tetsuya any more, I was fighting your brother, Revolver, and…I just remember fighting, most of it a blur, and then just…waking up, almost, and finding myself standing over him, not really knowing how I got there."

Only when I stop do I notice that my voice was trembling faintly while I was speaking – talking about this really scares me, and I really don't want to think about what it might be. Katanas, like any other time I've seen him, appears merely thoughtful about the situation, the calm persona he seems to present as the SeeD Commander never wavering.

"Well, normally, I would ask someone from the Ethereal Plane for assistance with this, given your suspicions," he begins, "but, as I'm sure you know, they have issues of their own right now."

"Destine," I state, earning a nod. "Almost makes me wonder when Will's going to go crazy and turn on Freya."

"I highly doubt that," Katanas remarks, chuckling. "Will has always been the most loyal of Freya's Pillars, in my understanding."

"One less thing to worry about, then," I mutter, deciding to get back to the topic at hand. "So…what should I do, then, if we can't really rely on the Ethereal Plane right now?"

"Well, I wouldn't worry so much about it, to start," Katanas says with a smile. "I'll take you off the duty roster while I look into some things. I know some people who might be able to help, so I'll make some calls and see what I can turn up."

My only immediate response is to nod stiffly; I'm so used to Katanas having all the answers that I'm a little unnerved that he _doesn't _have one.

"Thanks," I manage, wondering to myself just who Katanas might know that could lend a hand. "I'm just a little freaked out about this, you know? I…don't want it to happen during a mission, or anything."

"Understandable," he responds. "It's good that you came sooner, rather than later, _after_ something happened." I nod again, having to stifle another yawn in the process; my body wants nothing more than to just collapse and sleep for a few hours, and it's getting harder and harder to resist the urge, especially after my momentary nap in the hallway.

"I'll let you get back to work, then," I say, standing up from my chair and starting to walk towards the door. "I think I'm going to go back to my quarters and sleep. Didn't do much of that last night."

"Just be careful," Katanas says, amidst the sounds of typing now coming from the desk behind me. "I'd still go to your classes, but I'd stay away from combat for now until we know what's wrong."

"Don't worry, I plan to," I mutter, pulling the door open and stepping back out into the hall, intent on heading back to my room and getting some much-needed rest.

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 10:12 AM]

* * *

The Headmaster's eyes focused carefully on the illuminated screen before him, reading over the information listed there and making sure it was suitable for the mission ahead. He'd spent the better part of the evening reviewing personnel files that were deemed potentially useful for the mission he had in mind, and after several hours of searching, he had finally decided on a team of three SeeD officers. He would normally have liked to send more on a mission of such importance, but the nature of the mission itself demanded subtlety and finesse rather than force, and any more would just increase the likelihood of blowing the entire mission.

A mission into Vector's First R&D Division could not _afford _to be blown, no matter what. If that meant sending in fewer SeeD than he was normally comfortable with, then that was what it meant and that is what he would do.

Senior looked up from his examination of his data as the door to his office opened suddenly, letting in the three SeeD he'd chosen personally for the mission. He only hoped that they were capable of pulling the mission off; however, he didn't intend to leave anything to chance. Already, he had a plan in mind in case things went wrong, but first he had to deal with the here and now of the situation.

"Morning, Dad," Darius DeValle said, the red-haired Lightning Alchemist holding up a hand in a jaunty wave. The other two SeeD gave him a look of mild disbelief, but his father's stern expression made him reconsider his flippancy. "I mean, Headmaster," he amended, turning his wave into a salute a moment later. The other two SeeD beside him followed suit in the salute, only to have the Senior wave it off after a moment of consideration.

"Punctuality," he commented, nodding approvingly. "Pleasing, I'll admit," he continued, directing a look towards Darius especially.

"Now that's just mean," Darius muttered, putting one hand on his hip while the other two SeeD officers with him sat down in chairs before the Headmaster's desk.

"How can we help you, sir?" Naoki Ishida asked, his voice holding a calm and professional tone. The Senior's reply wasn't verbal, but instead consisted of picking up a series of papers on the desk, some stapled neatly to others, and handing a separate group to each of the three SeeD.

"A new mission?" Sumiko Remiere asked, looking back up towards the Headmaster after examining the papers briefly.

"That's correct. The full details of the mission, as well as your objective, are enclosed in those documents, so I'll make this brief. I selected each of you because this mission is to be carried out without confrontation, if possible, and your skills were deemed suitable for the task. Garden received a mission request at approximately 1630 hours yesterday asking for investigative help regarding Esthar's Vector Industries."

"Vector? You mean that big robotics company in the business district?" Darius asked, also looking up from the papers. As a member of Merchant's Alley, he'd been aware of Vector's growing position in the economic market for quite some time, and anything with their name in it was big news more often than not.

"Yes," Senior confirmed. "Apparently, they've been engaging in some less-than-legal activities, or at least that's the suspicion. A request was made for information to be gathered on Vector's First R&D Division, specifically, an ongoing project with the designation 'KP-X.'"

"What's so special about this division that Garden resources would be needed to investigate?" Sumiko asked, curious. "This goes beyond just corporate secrets, then?"

"Vector's First R&D Division handles extremely secretive and experimental projects. Information on any of these projects almost never leaves the division, let alone the Vector Industries grounds."

"So, similar to top-secret military projects, then?" Naoki asked, earning a nod from Senior.

"As Vector handles military contracts, it's an apt comparison. Your mission is to infiltrate Vector and retrieve whatever information you can about First R&D's KP-X project."

Naoki and Sumiko shared glances at each other – infiltrate a company like Vector? Both thought that such a mission would be left to higher-ranking individuals with more skill, but the Headmaster must have reason to believe that they could get the job done.

"So, you want us to break into a company renowned for its ability to keep information in?" Darius asked, a curious expression sliding across his features. "Reminds me of an Estharian video game company I know. I'm game," he said, shrugging lightly as he watched his father.

"Good. You'll be leading the team, Captain. You all have two hours to prepare; an airship will be waiting for you at the hangar at 1230 hours. Is your objective clear?"

"Got it."

"Yes, sir."

"Understood."

The Headmaster nodded, clasping his hands atop the desk in front of him. "Very well. You are dismissed."

Each of the three SeeD officers snapped off another salute, with Naoki and Sumiko standing up from their chairs before swiftly following Darius out of the room. The Headmaster reached for another set of papers, beginning to resume his previous work, but found himself interrupted once again by the door to his office.

"Sir?" a female voice asked, footsteps falling softly on the carpet. "You sent for me?"

"I did, Ellie."

Ellie Night stepped further into the room, nodding quietly as she did so. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, the dark green coloration near enough to black to appear so in the light, and unlike most female SeeD, she wore a uniform that was closer to the male SeeD uniform, a black uniform with teal accents that consisted of a shirt, jacket, and slacks instead of the female uniform's dress skirt. Two rank insignias were present on her jacket as well, both above the left breast. The upper insignia consisted of the Trabia Garden SeeD symbol on the right side, flanked on the left by five vertical yellow bars which were crossed by two horizontal bars at the middle and bottom, denoting her status as a Paladin of the Sphere. The lower insignia was a large contrast to the bright symbolism of the upper one, however – an all-black background featuring two gray lines that crossed diagonally through the middle and horizontally through the upper third, with four diagonal gray bars in the bottom-left and a black-and-white version of the SeeD insignia in the bottom right.

That insignia denoted Ellie Night's position as the head of Special Operations at Trabia Garden, and was the reason why the Headmaster had brought her into his office.

"I received a mission request from the head of Executive Outcomes in Esthar yesterday, asking for Garden's help in investigating claims of unjust activity within Vector Industries. As such, I am sending a team into Esthar to infiltrate Vector's First R&D Division to obtain information on a project designated KP-X, starting two hours from now. I want you to take Delta Squad and leave immediately for Esthar, to act as backup for this mission. You are not to alert the Esthar team to your team's presence unless the team and the mission are in jeopardy. However, this information is too valuable to risk losing – your secondary objective will be to retrieve the information at any cost should the primary team fail."

"I understand, sir," Ellie replied. "I'll prep Delta Squad for immediate departure." Some part of Ellie's mind wondered just how important such a company's project could really be if it merited backup from a Special Operations unit, but she left the question unsaid – if the Headmaster wanted them to ensure the mission succeeded, then that was what they would do, regardless of perceived importance. There was no room for failure in SeeD.

"Excellent," Senior stated, smiling. He had always been able to count on Ellie to handle missions of extreme importance, and she and her teams had never failed to perform to his highest expectations. The dark-haired woman saluted the Headmaster quickly before turning on her heel and stepping out of the room, leaving Darius DeValle Sr. alone with his work once more. There was nothing to worry about, now; one way or another, Alnon would have his information, and Senior would know whether a new player had truly emerged on the world stage.

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, SeeD Commander's Office | 11:50 AM]

* * *

"Yes, I'll hold."

Katanas sighed, watching as the video screen shifted once again to blank gray overlaid with the Garden insignia as he was put on hold…again. This made no less than the third time, and while he understood that the process took time, he couldn't help but feel like he was simply being given a run-around through the building's different divisions. So far, he'd talked to two secretaries and one supervisor only to find out that he'd been directed to the wrong branch by mistake, which meant that he had to be redirected for a third time. Needless to say, it was beginning to faintly irritate even the normally-collected SeeD Commander.

"Estharian Science and Technology Institute, Paramagical Studies. May I help you?"

Katanas' attention refocused as a male figure with short, messy black hair appeared on screen, his red jacket and black shirt prominently displaying an I.D. badge for the institute that wasn't quite clear enough for Katanas to read.

"Yes. My name is Katanas DeValle, SeeD Commander of Trabia Garden. I was wondering if there was any chance that I could have an investigative study conducted on a member of our organization by your department."

"Hm…" The man turned away from the screen as the sounds of typing filtered through the audiovisual connection, looking thoughtfully off screen for several seconds before returning to the display. "What would be the nature of the study?"

"The aforementioned member came to me this morning stating that he had experienced hallucinations yesterday during a training exercise. Both he and I have strong reason to believe that the causes behind it are magical in nature, but our medical technicians are not equipped to properly diagnose mental disorders."

Again, the institute worker turned away from the display, typing on an off-screen terminal. There was a pause of several seconds as he finished typing before he spoke again, not looking in Katanas' direction but apparently at another display.

"It looks like…Dr. Mizrahi and Dr. Odine are currently available," he stated, finally looking back towards Katanas. "What time would you like to begin the study?"

"I should be able to send him down this evening, provided nothing comes up," Katanas replied. Odine was one of the best, if not the best at magical research, whether paramagical or Sorceress-based in origin, and he knew that if anyone could figure out what could be causing hallucinations, it would be Odine. Anyone who worked with Odine, by extension, had to be competent, and was likely above-average in their own right; Katanas had heard rumors that Odine was notoriously unforgiving of incompetence and held his staff to remarkable, even unreasonably high, standards.

"We'll be awaiting his arrival, then. What is his name, for our records?" the man asked, again turning back towards his off-screen computer.

"Benji Powell."

"Okay," the worker affirmed, turning back to Katanas with a nod. "Once he signs in at the front desk, we'll have him directed to this wing to begin the study. I'll say now that we can't make any guarantees on the length of time that the study will take, mister DeValle."

"Understandable," the SeeD Commander said. "We're not worried about time constraints, so you needn't worry about that."

"Alright, then. Is that everything, mister DeValle?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Very well. Thank you for calling – we'll do our best to help."

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Andréa Beoulve's Quarters | 12:01 PM]

* * *

"Come in."

The stiff metal door to Andréa Beoulve's personal quarters slid open as Tetsuya Kurabasa walked into the room. The recently-minted Major sat easily on the couch, her cloth-covered eyes seeming to follow Tetsuya even through the dark fabric as he moved towards her place, electing instead to stand near one side of the furnishing.

"Personal visit, Tetsuya?" she asked, turning to 'look' at him. "I'm touched."

"Yeah, well…don't get _too_ flattered," he joked, shifting to lean on the couch with his back facing Andréa. "Don't think I ever got to say congratulations on that promotion of yours."

"Why, I never knew you cared," Andréa remarked, mirth evident in her voice. "Surely you didn't come all this way to tell me something you could say in a hallway somewhere."

Tetsuya shifted uncomfortably, but nodded. "Something…happened yesterday. I can't really make sense of it, and I thought you could."

"Oh?"

"I was sparring in the Training Center – with Ben, like we normally do now," Tetsuya began, trying to phrase things the way he wanted in his mind. "Anyway, things went fine for a minute or two, but then…he just kinda lost it, like he wasn't really there…"

"Zoned out, you mean?" Andréa queried, receiving a shake of the head for her efforts.

"It wasn't like he wasn't paying attention, just…it looked like he forgot we were sparring and weren't in an actual fight," he clarified. "He knocked me down, and that was about the time he seemed to come to his senses, but…sis, if you'd seen the look on his face, you'd have swore he just saw a whole herd of Behemoth charging at him. Looked like he'd fall over on the spot, he was so scared."

Andréa smiled faintly at the use of Tetsuya's nickname for her – for the few years he'd spent in their home of Arias, he'd considered Andréa a sort of older sister figure, and the nickname had stuck years later when they met up again in Esthar. "Alright – so he got a bit carried away and freaked out over it. Why are you telling _me?_"

"Context, mostly," Tetsuya said with a shrug. "What happened _after _that is why I came. He freaked out, yeah – that's definitely true. But, when he was leaving, he did…_something_. I can't really describe it any other way than saying he teleported – one moment, he was there, then the next, he took a step and just wasn't there anymore." He glanced over at Andréa again, wishing he could read her expression better through the eye-concealing cloth she wore. "And before you say 'invisibility spell,' I already thought about that. I've had the same training you have in detecting basic magical enchantments, and I didn't feel any of that. He honestly just wasn't there anymore."

Andréa's smile dimmed a bit into a more neutral expression. "And you want advice on what he might've done – is that it? Wouldn't it be better to ask one of the instructors?"

"No, that's not it. I want you to tell me what he did."

The female SeeD's features shifted into a slight frown as Tetsuya looked straight at her, his expression calm and focused. "What makes you think–"

"Please, Andréa," Tetsuya interrupted. "Just…look. You've been edgy around me ever since I got here, and you've been nothing but evasive every time I've asked you about _why _you've been so edgy. There's been a lot of weird stuff going on here in Garden lately, and a whole lot of it seems to involve him – and now, all of a sudden, you get a promotion that lets you have a squad and he's in it? I know I'm not the fastest chocobo in the flock sometimes, but I'm not _stupid_, sis. It just doesn't add up, and it hurts that you won't level with me."

Andréa had to admit that she was at least a little impressed by his heartfelt moment of honesty and forwardness. The frown on her face slowly moved back into a whisper of a smile as Tetsuya waited expectantly for the next words from her lips.

"Well, it's nice to know you finally grew out of that naïve streak you had when we were back in Arias," she commented good-naturedly, gesturing for Tetsuya to sit down. "Alright, I'll be honest with you provided you're _absolutely sure_ you want to know. Once you do, it's not just something you can turn away from – this stays with you, no matter what happens."

Tetsuya nodded, taking a seat on the couch beside Andréa. "I'm positive. I don't want there to be any secrets between us, sis."

"And don't go spreading this around, either," she added, almost as an afterthought. "It's not secret, per se, but it's not something we broadcast freely around Garden, either."

"Got it."

"I'll start slow, then. I assume that you think there are other planets besides the one we live on, whether they have life on them or not?" Andréa asked, earning a nod from Tetsuya. "Well, that principle can be applied in a more…liberal sense. This planet, as well as any of those presumably-existing planets you imagine, exists on a dimensional plane – a bit like objects on a table. This plane is part of a bigger whole, and it is not the only plane within that whole – that _realm._"

"Just like the Garden Network," Tetsuya stated. "Three Gardens that make up the whole organization."

"Exactly. In this case, there are four planes that comprise this realm – this one, the mortal plane; the Ethereal Plane, a plane primarily for intellectually-driven beings; the Nether Plane, a plane mostly made up of instinct-driven beings; and Soul Society, a plane where the souls of the deceased reside after death."

"So…it's the afterlife?" the trenchcoat-clad SeeD asked the woman beside him.

"In the strictest sense," she remarked. "But to keep this simple, you can think of it that way. Each of these planes is governed by a being known as an Ancient – essentially, what we might think of as gods. Just as our presidents and governors appoint officials to handle many of their duties, these beings appoint others as their special chosen, beings that have come to be known as Planeswalkers."

She looked towards Tetsuya again, making sure that he seemed to be keeping up with all the information. To his credit, he seemed to be doing an admirable job of paying attention; Andréa knew all too well how prone he was to joking around and zoning out sometimes.

"I, myself, am a Planeswalker of Soul Society, and have been for some time now. There are others in Garden who are also chosen of these beings – the youngest DeValle, Darius, is a chosen of Soul Society as well, and our very own SeeD Commander is a chosen of the Nether Plane. The Powell boy, as you may already suspect, is also a Planeswalker – his plane is the Ethereal Plane."

"So…what do you do once you're chosen? And how did you get wrapped up in all of this, anyhow?"

"What do we do?" Andréa repeated, smiling and looking up at the ceiling of her room as she leaned back. "Why, whatever our patron asks of us, of course. As for how I became involved…that's a story I'll have to tell some other time, once your mind has digested all of this."

"…What about Instructor Bayloh? Does he know anything about this?" Tetsuya asked tentatively – it was a guess on his part, but after what Andréa had just said, he felt it was more of an educated one than he first believed.

"He is another chosen of the Ethereal Plane. Older than our dear Benji to a large degree, as I understand it."

"Knew it…!" Tetsuya said suddenly, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. "I _told _Naoki and Sumiko that something wasn't right about that situation with Bayloh!"

"Congratulations," Andréa deadpanned, looking back at Tetsuya. "You've found it out. Was it worth it?"

"Har har," Tetsuya said, equally deadpan. "You're too smug about all this, you know? You didn't feel like you could trust me with this at all?"

"It wasn't that I didn't feel like you could be trusted, but simply that I had other obligations to deal with. Telling you about my secret double life as a Planeswalker didn't rank too highly among them."

"You sound like a character out of a bad spy novel," Tetsuya commented, prompting Andréa to simply roll her eyes in response.

"Can't be serious for _five minutes,_ I tell you," she said, the smile on her face betraying the exasperated tone in his voice. "Well, now you know the basis of our little extraplanar secret. Sure you'll be okay after your whole worldview was just shattered?"

"I can't imagine how I'll survive the day," he countered mockingly, pausing again as a thought again came to the forefront of his mind. "Wait – you didn't explain what any of this had to do with Ben's little disappearing act."

"It's what makes us what we are – in fact, it's why we have the name Planeswalkers," Andréa said. "We can use the power given to us by our patron to skip in and out of planes at will with a form of nearly-instantaneous travel called, appropriately enough, Planeswalking. Of course, it takes some getting used to and is extremely difficult to do with anyone else along for the ride, but it's certainly an invaluable gift. Only other Planeswalkers can really tell what it is when someone does it, which is why you didn't have an idea of what happened when Ben used it."

"…So, it really _is _teleportation," he said after a moment's thought. "Or something like that, right?"

"When we Planeswalk, we actually move along an intermediary plane known as the Crystal Path, but I suppose it's a close-enough comparison for simplicity's sake."

"I'm not even going to try and think about the mechanics behind all of that. I'll just be satisfied with the simple explanation," Tetsuya said with a nod, causing Andréa to smirk.

"Yuki _would_ be better at it, wouldn't she?" she asked with a self-satisfied tone.

"Hey, just because I'm not the model student she is doesn't mean I'm not smart, you know!" Tetsuya replied with mock-indignation. It felt good to be bantering with Andréa and not treading carefully around every word he said, almost like he was back in his childhood years again. Andréa, for her part, looked almost relieved, like what she had told Tetsuya was a weight on her chest that she couldn't remove until now.

"Clearly."

"Sure there aren't any other deep, dark secrets you want to get off your chest?" Tetsuya asked amiably, which earned him what he was certain was a piercing glare from the woman beside him underneath the cloth she wore. "Okay, forget I asked!" he said with a laugh, leaning back into the couch comfortably.

"That's what I thought," Andréa stated, sighing. "I don't even know why I put up with you sometimes."

"Because no matter what, I'd be there for you if you needed it?"

"Must be it."

* * *

I enjoyed writing the last piece of this chapter most of all, owing greatly to the banter between Tetsuya and Andréa - his "conspiracy theories" have a little more weight to them than most are aware, at least for the time being. As stated, I'll attempt to have the next chapter up by next Sunday, though that may change a bit if the job leads I'm looking into now turn out fruitful. As always, please read and review.


	54. I, IV, V: Hide and Seek

I took a few days off while I was working on this chapter in an attempt to keep my mind fresh with ideas, hence the lack of an update this past weekend. This chapter is considerably longer than the last as a result; expect the next chapter sometime between next Friday and Sunday.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter V—Hide and Seek_

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, SeeD Commander's Office | 2:14 PM]

* * *

"At ease."

Andréa Beoulve, Tetsuya Kurabasa, and Yuki Kurabasa quickly lowered their hands from the saluting position at the SeeD Commander's words, though each still remained focused and attentive as he continued to speak.

"Earlier today, we received a mission request from a group over in Timber. The group in question has been shipping out mineral ores and other materials to places such as Galbadia and Esthar for sale to businesses and industry, but has had their trains fall under attack with increasing frequency in the past few weeks. They have no leads at all as to why their trains are being raided, or who is responsible, but they possess little way on their own to defend against the attacks."

"Wouldn't there be armed security on a shipping convoy?" Yuki asked. "Why haven't they been able to do anything?"

"Armed security _is_ present," Katanas continued. "However, according to the reports from our client, the security detail reported being attacked not just by armed raiders, but ones armed with magic of some form."

"Paramagic? Are they being attacked by SeeDs?" Tetsuya asked, his eyes suddenly widening a fraction as the implication sank in.

"It's too early to say," Katanas replied. "With their lowered income, it apparently took them quite a while to be able to pay for our services. It seems that their hope is that by having SeeD as a show of force, those attacking the trains will abandon their efforts entirely, or at least slacken their attacks long enough for the security forces to be trained appropriately or for other, more lasting security to be hired from elsewhere, such as Galbadia."

"Why not hire Balamb Garden SeeD for this kind of work?" Andréa questioned, folding her arms. "Surely they would be faster to arrive than we would."

"I believe their next convoy will be traveling from Timber to Esthar; if that is the case, then returning to Garden will proceed faster for Trabian SeeD than Balamb SeeD. Also, contracts at Balamb Garden are usually more expensive because of the lower number of SeeD officials at the Garden, and money – as I mentioned – was a point of importance for them."

"So, all we do is go and beat up a bunch of magic-using bandits attacking a train?" Tetsuya asked, shrugging. "Sounds like easy money to me."

"You'll be leaving at 1700 hours by train from Esthar," Katanas stated, looking towards Andréa. "Major Beoulve, you will be in command – use your best judgment during the mission, and contact Garden immediately if any evidence of rogue SeeD involvement surfaces. The meeting location and contact information has already been uploaded to your GLDs. If there are no more questions, then I wish you good luck."

"You heard the Commander," Andréa said, turning towards her teammates. "Let's gear up and move out. I'll see you at the parking garage in 15."

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Esthar, Business District, Vector Industries Main Complex | 4:03 PM]

* * *

Darius had always known that Garden had a hand in just about everything if you looked hard enough, but it was in times like these that he really appreciated just how much Garden could muster up when needed. The video camera he was currently carrying was certainly impressive and official-looking, as was the rest of the news gear that his team had requisitioned from Garden for their mission. During the pre-planning for the mission itself, they'd come up with numerous ideas and discarded them equally quickly while going through what information they could readily find on Vector, but it wasn't until Darius had happened across information on some inside interviews of upcoming projects that they had really hit upon an idea that would work. Breaking into the Vector Industries complex had been considered and thrown out straight away; while they had no doubt in their abilities to actually get inside and overpower the security forces, none of the three had the necessary skill to hack the computers if placed under a lockdown like the one their action would undoubtedly bring. Naoki and Sumiko's skills in technology were vastly lacking even in comparison to Darius, who had little beyond the basics of computer use to rely on.

After some discussion, however, Darius had found an interesting fact that they quickly saw as a window of opportunity. One of the major news networks in the area, Estharian Regional News, was scheduled to do an interview with some of the project workers in Vector's Third Division regarding a new breakthrough in reactor technology. Following some quick working of the idea, the trio had worked out the basics of a plan to get inside.

First, they would redirect the news crew scheduled to do the interview somewhere else – Darius had enlisted his father's help with that particular facet of the plan. Next, they would disguise themselves as the news crew before entering Vector; they had moved the mission time back a bit to accommodate the new plan, as the actual requisitioning of equipment and forging of identification required more time than they had planned for.

The next part was the trickiest – at some point, while inside, they would have to replace themselves with clones created by Naoki and Sumiko, in order to create an opportunity to hide and still have it appear to everyone that the news team leaves when instructed. After that, they would have to wait until most of the Vector staff had cleared out at the end of normal business hours, and then make their way inside First Division and to the office of the project leader, one Aiva Furello. Darius was confident that he could get inside the office, and neither Naoki nor Sumiko decided to question him on that point. Senior had also provided the team with Furello's login information, supposedly verified by reliable inside sources. Darius, however, seemed unconcerned with the idea of improvising if things didn't work out as planned, and Naoki and Sumiko seemed to trust his abilities in that area.

"So, everyone know the plan?" Darius asked, shouldering the heavy-looking piece of equipment as he looked at his squad members. While his two teammates had relied on some illusionary methods of disguise to go with the normal methods, he had gone with a completely traditional solution; his red hair was now a jet-black color, falling loosely over a white headband around his forehead, while he wore a pair of black slacks and a black jacket over a white shirt. Naoki's attire appeared similar to Darius' own, with brown pants, a heavy brown jacket and plaid polo shirt under the jacket, over which a press card hung that Garden had forged for the mission. His black hair was now a dirty blond color, and he wore a pair of glasses with simple glass frames as well as maintaining an illusion that gave him an older, late-twenties appearance. Sumiko also maintained a similar age illusion, giving her the appearance of a woman in her late-twenties. Her long blond hair had been changed to a dark black, while her clothes had changed to a black dress skirt and heels along with a white tank top covered by a jacket similar to Darius' with a gold 'ERN' pin at the lapel.

"Yes," Naoki said with a nod, adjusting his jacket as they started to head towards the doors of the main Vector Industries building. "I only hope you're as good with that camera as you claim."

"I'll have you know my camera skills are a work of art!" he protested, grinning. "Just direct the conversations, and there won't be a problem."

"Besides the obvious problems, anyway," Sumiko stated as they walked.

Vector Industries' holdings in the business district were impressive even viewed from afar, but the sense of enormity was magnified up close and personal. Warehouses decorated the business complex's land like trees in a forest, with dozens of workers moving between buildings on foot or on various pieces of motorized equipment or cars, none of whom gave the three 'reporters' any passing glances other than the occasional polite greeting. The main building itself was massive, a black structure with faint red highlights that stretched around twenty stories into the air at its central tower, with two flanking towers stopping two or three stories before that. The Vector Industries logo, one red and one black line surrounding the word 'Vector' in an ovular fashion, was stamped prominently over the front entrance. The three stepped inside one of the three sets of automated sliding doors at the entrance and into the lobby, noticing immediately the immaculate look of the inside; white tiled floors along with red and white walls blended nicely with the two white and gray receptionist desks and similarly-colored sofas around the lobby. Three hallways branched off from the main lobby, all at the back – one door sat directly in the center of the back wall opposite the front entrance, while two other doors sat one apiece on either side wall, past most of the furnishings in the room.

"Nice place," Darius commented, taking stock of the room and his surroundings. "What do you guys think?"

"Certainly stylish," Naoki said, following Darius' gaze around the lobby. "Then again, I can't say I expect anything less from a company like this."

"May I help you?" a male voice said from one of the two desks in the room. The receptionist that spoke looked to be around thirty years old, with short blond hair and a red polo shirt prominently displaying the Vector logo on the breast pocket. Sumiko nodded, stepping over to the desk and taking out a press card from her pocket.

"Yes," she stated, handing the card over to the receptionist and gesturing for her comrades to follow her to the desk. "Kate Lockwell, ERN – we were supposed to have an interview today with a…Dr. Fuyutsuki, I believe. Did I say that right?"

"You did," the man replied, looking over her press card for a moment before taking two more from Naoki and Darius, looking at each of them in turn after a similar examination of each card.

"Just making sure."

"Okay…Michael Liberty, and…Zach Oliver, right?" he asked, receiving nods from both of the disguised SeeD. "Give me just a minute, and I'll contact him for you. You can have a seat over there," he continued, pointing towards one of the sofas in the room as he picked up a telephone at the desk.

"Thank you," Sumiko replied politely, turning and making her way towards the indicated seat with Darius and Naoki following. While she wasn't the de facto leader of the team, Darius had told her beforehand to take the lead conversationally, something which was only logical given their situation.

"So, what do you think about this place?" Darius asked Naoki, taking a seat on one end of the sofa before setting his camera down beside him and throwing an arm over the side.

"They've certainly made a name for themselves in the past few years," Naoki said, standing to Darius' left against the wall as Sumiko sat down on the other side of the couch. "Moving from newcomer in the market to military supplier in four years is pretty tricky here, especially when they would've had to muscle out other companies already in that niche that have likely been here three times that long."

"Tell me about it," Darius replied, looking up at his fellow SeeD. "Did you know they haven't reported a quarterly loss in the six years they've been here?"

"Is that particularly unusual?" Sumiko asked. "I don't presume to know a lot about business."

"For a new company, just getting established? First and second-year losses are practically guaranteed, even if they're only small losses, but this company's just taken off like a shot right from the start. They were reporting gains that were easily double what was expected for a new company in their position in the first year, according to the analysts, and they've only gone up from there. Their stock price has jumped astronomically as of late, too. Anyone who's been investing in them is likely making a killing right about now."

"Like you?" Naoki asked with a grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Darius said, his face the picture of innocence. "I'm just a humble cameraman – they don't pay me enough for me to invest in such a thing."

Naoki and Sumiko shared a look that clearly said "unbelievable," just as the receptionist's voice called over to them again.

"Miss Lockwell? If you'll please follow this man to the elevator, he'll escort you up to the fourth floor," he said, motioning to a man standing beside the desk dressed in dark clothing and a helmet with a clear visor, as well as a belt with an easily-visible pistol holster and numerous other items – obviously a member of the building's security detail. "Dr. Fuyutsuki will be with you in just a minute."

"Right this way," the guard said, stepping over towards the trio at the sofa and motioning for them to follow him towards the central door at the far wall. Darius grabbed his camera and stood up along with Sumiko, letting her fall into step behind the guard before following himself, leaving Naoki trailing behind him as they started to walk down the hallway after the guard.

The elevators, they found, were not very far from the main lobby – in fact, had they seen the building's inside before, they would've noticed them as soon as they stepped through the door leading into the hallway. The guard uttered no words as he led them to one of the elevators, solemnly pressing the button to summon it down from the higher floors.

"This place is really nice," Sumiko commented, looking at the guard. "I can only imagine how much work it must take to keep a place like this in order."

"Thank you," the guard replied, nodding. "Long hours are a given most of the time, but we enjoy it."

"Understandable," she said, finding herself cut off by the sharp 'ding' of the elevator as the doors opened. In moments, the group was on the way up to the fourth floor, a trip which lasted but a few seconds as the doors opened almost immediately after closing on the lower floor. Again, the guard led the way out of the elevator, but stopped upon barely entering the hall, instead stepping towards one of the doors on the hallway's left side.

"You can wait inside this reception room," he stated, opening the door for the trio. "Dr. Fuyutsuki is on his way now, I believe."

"Thank you for the help," Naoki said, causing the guard to simply wave the gratitude off and take up a position guarding the room as the three stepped inside.

"Now _this _is what I call a welcome," Darius said with a grin as his eyes caught their first glimpse of the expansive room beyond the door. Several long sofas similar to the ones in the lobby lined the room, with numerous paintings and portraits decorating the walls that kept them from being as barren as the entrance. Tables also sat near each of the sofas with lamps atop them, the small wooden tables bearing a dark sheen that indicated their finish and contrasted nicely with the white lamps and their shades. One long coffee table with a similar polish as the other tables sat near the very center of the room among two of the sofas with several magazines lying atop its surface, and a small cart of beverages and snacks waited a short distance inside the room, obviously intended for the news crew's members.

Darius wasted no time at all moving over towards one of the long couches, almost flopping down as he hastily sat and let his large camera rest beside him. "Yes, I could _definitely_ get used to this."

"We have a job to do, you know," Sumiko countered, stepping inside and admiring the room with more leisure than her comrade.

"I know, I know," he complained. "But, really, how often is it that we get treated like this? These guys must treat all their guests like kings."

Naoki followed Sumiko inside, taking a small pastry from a tray on the cart and taking a bite – coffee cake, he realized – before taking a seat on a different sofa. "All we can do is wait at the moment, Kate. I believe our beloved cameraman, for once, has a valid point."

"You're right," she finally said, stepping back over towards the cart and pouring a small cup of water. "I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Darius commented from his lounging position. "Ease up a bit, would you? I don't think the story's going anywhere."

"– told that we _needed_ those parts by the end of the week."

"Except coming to us," he amended, hearing the voice of someone outside the door. The door opened as he spoke, letting a rather short man that looked to be somewhere in his forties into the room, completely bald and wearing a pair of safety goggles atop his head along with a long white lab coat. Instead of speaking with someone outside, as Darius had first thought, the man was speaking on a cell phone, and sounded faintly upset about something.

"Well, I'll give them a call today and see what the hold-up is. We can't continue without some of those parts, and we need this prototype done by the end of the month," the man continued in faintly-accented Gaian, ignoring the other three in the room for the moment. "Good day."

The phone clicked shut in his hands, and he pocketed the device quickly before looking between the three SeeD inside the room. "You three are the crew from ERN?" he asked, his tone of voice shifting back to a more professional one.

"Yes, we are," Sumiko said, walking over and extending a hand for the man to shake. "I'm Kate Lockwell – this is Michael Liberty, a fellow reporter," she continued, gesturing towards Naoki, who also moved towards the scientist to shake hands, "and Zach Oliver, our cameraman." Darius waved, but didn't get up off the couch just yet – he was apparently rather comfortable where he was.

"Nice to meet all of you," the man remarked, shaking Sumiko's hand before doing the same to Naoki's. "I'm Masaru Fuyutsuki, Third Division's assistant division head. If you don't mind, I'd like to skip some of the pleasantries and get on with this interview – nothing personal, I assure you. We've simply had a few…shortcomings, as you likely just heard me mention, and we're a bit behind where we need to be on this project."

"We'll try not to take up too much of your time," Sumiko said with a nod. "Are we doing the interview here, or somewhere else?"

"Follow me," Fuyutsuki stated, gesturing for the news team to follow him as he moved towards the door of the room again, allowing it to open in front of him. "I'll give you all a look at some of the Third Division laboratories while you interview to make up for the trouble."

Sumiko smiled brightly as Naoki and Darius shared a look with each other, the latter finally getting up from the couch and grabbing his camera again. This could prove to be more profitable than even they initially thought, he realized.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Sanctum of the Ethereal Knights]

* * *

Arragious Nicholai had always wondered why the Ethereal Plane seemed to always choose form over function. With the exception of the Palace of Creation – which, legitimately, was a fortress in its own right no matter the decoration – and the Gilead Order's citadel, which he had designed specifically with defending against intruders in mind, every building in the Upper Court seemed to radiate an aura of wonder and mystique instead of the aura of menace and power that he felt should have come from such a place. The Ethereal Knights' sanctum was no different than the over-elaborate designs that the mortals favored in his eyes. At first glance, the building could almost be described as 'squat,' with merely two stories of height to its structure that it made up for in width, giving it a rectangular shape. The front was decorated in ornate plaques and runes, bearing similarities to the murals and designs on the inside of the Palace of Creation but set on raised surfaces rather than painted onto the walls. Like the Palace, it shared the same medieval-styled wooden doors, resembling those on ancient castles, magically-reinforced to be as strong as any metal despite the rustic appearance. On top of the building sat a large dome, centered perfectly in the middle of the structure's roof and comprised of spaced pillars in a circle that supported the dome's cap, leaving the inside open.

At some level, he knew, he was relieved to be seeing it at all, or any part of the plane. Freya had exiled him, stripping him of his power to return under his own will, but there were…ways around that, he had found. She always was blind to the obvious, in his opinion, despite how all-seeing and wise she attempted to appear. He continued to watch, resting easily atop a section of the outer wall surrounding the building; cloaking himself in a spell had made it a simple task to walk unnoticed, provided he was careful. While he was powerful, likely one of the most powerful _Erudite_ in the plane even now, there were many others who could possibly tell that someone was present by merely sensing their power nearby. Odin himself was capable, though relied far less on the technique than some, while most high-ranking members of the Ethereal Magi used the skill like simply another sense, as natural to them as breathing. Getting inside their tower would be more challenging than entering the Ethereal Knights' sanctum, he knew.

He had targets in mind within both structures, as well as the palace itself, but the first to feel his wrath lay within the building in front of him.

Arragious knew well the rules and procedures for exile – he created most of them himself, during his time as Captain-Commander of the Gilead Order. Being exiled was seen as the ultimate mark of shame by nearly all _Erudite_, as being cut off from the vast sources of knowledge and wisdom that the plane possessed, to an intellectually-focused and knowledge-driven race such as they, was an infinitely-worse fate than execution in the minds of many. Exile could only be decreed by the Creator after the gathering of a council of officials, the members of which were taken from both the Ethereal Knights and Magi alike. The Creator, Grand Master, and Executor were always present, as were up to three Masters, in the case of the Ethereal Knights, or Praetors, in the case of the Ethereal Magi – all holding that rank attended if there were less than three. After an open discussion, there would be a vote, and if a majority vote was reached, then exile would be decreed.

Not once had he ever thought that those same procedures would be used on him. He had given his life to the Ethereal Plane to protect and serve it, and in return, he had been cast out like refuse. _'They will find out the folly of that decision sooner than they expected,_' he thought to himself.

He kept his power suppressed carefully as he dropped down from the outer wall and began moving towards the building itself in a brisk run. The building in front of him, despite the decorative elements, was solid in structure if not as tactically sound as he would've liked, and as such he knew of no true way inside that wouldn't draw attention except through one of the two sets of doors on either the front or back of the building. Two guards stood outside the set of doors at the front, meaning that he had to wait until those doors opened and slip inside before they closed so as not to give away his presence. Fortunately for him, he did not have to wait long; the doors opened from the inside shortly after he began his watch, allowing him to quietly move inside after a group of four _Erudite _clad in plate mail exited. The inside of the building was, perhaps surprisingly, less decorative and elaborate than the outside, with only a scarce few paintings decorating the uncolored walls. He found that he couldn't remember if it had been this way the last time he had seen it, but quickly decided not to dwell on the matter and to accomplish his mission first.

'_The Masters' chambers are on the second floor,' _he reminded himself, attempting to dredge back up centuries-old information from his lengthy memory. His body moved down the hallway of the building like a wraith, unseen and unknown to any around as he began sneaking his way through the building. This revenge was a long time in the making, and he was determined not to foul it up by letting himself grow lax and overconfident. The halls, thankfully, were relatively empty at the moment – whether they were running drills or simply in their chambers, Arragious couldn't say, but it was a stroke of luck he meant to take advantage of. _Haste _magic would have aided him, but he felt wary simply using the _Vanish _magic that he used to aid his movement, despite the noticeably inferior magical senses of most within Odin's forces. Stairs to the second floor should be nearby, he knew, and he continued his trek through the halls of the military complex, keeping close watch for any sudden movements around him as he glided through the area.

* * *

"As you can see," Fuyutsuki began, "most of our work is done in large laboratories like this one. A lot of initial work begins here as well, as opposed to individual offices or even other buildings. We encourage our employees to help each other as much as possible, even when those employees are working on entirely different projects."

"The division is rather closely-knit, then – almost like family?" Sumiko ventured, holding a microphone over towards Fuyutsuki as she finished speaking. Fuyutsuki had led them up a small set of stairs in the hallway which opened into a series of hallways that appeared to be suspended from the ceiling, comprised of metal catwalks enclosed by clear glass to keep people from falling over. Below, they could see one of the large laboratories of Vector's Third Division, full of busily-moving scientists and other workers flitting around large amounts of equipment and materials – metal tables full of components and machinery, metalworking tools, and machines for assembling or disassembling parts littered the room in droves, tended to by the employees like bees in a hive. The area was quite noisy, even with the glass blocking some of the sound, and they had pulled out the microphones in order to make things simpler on all of them both for interview purposes and normal conversations.

"You could say that," Fuyutsuki remarked, nodding. "Most of the people who work here seem to treat their coworkers with a bit more familiarity than just another employee at the office, so to speak. We supervisors try to take the time to speak with people during the day as well to maintain that familiarity and show that we care, and it seems to be reflected in the company's overwhelming success."

"It does indeed," she replied, stepping aside so that Darius could get both her and Fuyutsuki in the camera angle. "So, Dr. Fuyutsuki, what can you tell us about this new reactor technology that your company is developing?"

"Well, miss Lockwell, to be honest, most of the specifics are still tied up in company privacy right now, but I do have a few things I can share," Fuyutsuki stated. "Right now, we're still running tests on the early prototypes that we have, and right now the results are rather promising. The existing technology for personal energy sources has several drawbacks, one of the most prominent of which is the ratio of the unit's weight to the energy output – that, in itself, has served as a rather limiting factor for use in specialized equipment that demands a high energy output, such as certain types of scanning technology and some military-grade equipment. Our prototype technology for personal sources has, at present, anywhere from thirteen to twenty-two percent more effective energy output for the same weight, and our engineers are still refining their methods to further enhance those numbers."

"That could prove to be a significant improvement for many different fields, I imagine," Naoki chimed in, also carrying a microphone to aid with speaking over the laboratory's din.

"Oh, absolutely – everyone from geologists to front-line military men could benefit from more efficient power cells in their daily-use devices," the doctor said, nodding enthusiastically. "But that isn't all. More expansive reactors are also in development currently using the same methods, and one of our prototypes sized appropriately and designed primarily for backup power generating for buildings has tested at anywhere from seventeen to twenty-eight percent more efficiency. This, for instance, means that a hospital in the middle of an outage could potentially have a sizably-lengthened amount of time with power, which could be critical to saving the lives of patients who are dependent on life support or other machine aid."

Darius, behind the camera, found himself intrigued and more than a little impressed. If Vector wasn't just making things up to pad their influence on the business market, Fuyutsuki's statements could potentially garner quite the amount of interest when they leaked out into the market. The medical sector in particular was sure to be highly enamored of more efficient energy as a way to cut costs, save space, and increase the efficiency of their existing infrastructure, among other things.

"How many employees, would you say, are currently working on this project?" Naoki continued, momentarily taking the lead from Sumiko.

"Hm…an interesting question. Obviously, I can't keep track of everyone in the division offhand, but if I had to guess…I would say likely forty to fifty engineers are working on basic prototypes, and another thirty to forty are assisting with material gathering and other, smaller duties. This, mind you, is split between only a few prototypes. Everyone is working to the fullest to ensure that these projects are in tip-top shape for the more involved testing procedures."

"That's excellent news, Dr. Fuyutsuki," Sumiko said, turning her attention back to her interviewee. "Do you have any guesses on when this technology might become available to the public?"

"We're still working on the techniques behind this project as well as the prototypes for the project itself, so regretfully, I fully expect it to be at least another year before this tech goes to market," Fuyutsuki replied with a hint of sadness. "It is a wonderful advance, and we wish to see it refined into the best base form possible before we decide to unveil it to the general public."

"That's certainly understandable," she replied, nodding. "We wish you the best of luck in the future with this project."

"Thank you."

"Vector Industries – hard at work to make life easier," Sumiko stated, finally turning back to the camera as it focused on all three. "From Vector Industries complex here in Esthar, this is Kate Lockwell and Michael Liberty, signing off."

"I hope we haven't kept you from your work too long, doctor," Naoki said, sounding sincere. In actuality, while he was rather sincere in his desire to let the doctor get back to his work, the shortness of the interview also served their purposes as well.

"On the contrary, I expected it to last longer," Fuyutsuki remarked. "I'm glad that you decided to keep things concise."

"Well, we can't expect you to reveal company secrets, so we kept our questions limited and general," Sumiko said, nodding. "This will just serve as a small exposé to let the business world know that Vector's actually making headway on this new project. I'm sure that your company will hold press conferences later on the matter, at any rate, which means you'll probably see us again," she added with a smile.

"I'm sure," Fuyutsuki said with a chuckle. "Well, I hate to rush off, but I need to get down to the lab and make a few calls. It was nice to meet all of you, and I do hope to see you again, as you said." He'd have to make sure he remembered the names of these three, he thought to himself – they deserved to have the first crack at any future stories about this project.

"The pleasure was ours, Dr. Fuyutsuki. Please, take care."

As the elder doctor turned away to walk further down the glass-enclosed hallway leading down the lab, Darius gave Sumiko a look that said volumes in a glance – it was time to _really _get to work.

"Uh…Kate?" Darius said, fumbling around in a pocket with his free hand as he set his camera on the metal floor, beginning to dig in his other pocket with that hand as well. "I think…yep. Think I set my phone down in that reception room."

Sumiko let out a mock sigh of exasperation, shaking her head. "Zach, I keep telling you that you play with that stupid phone too much."

"Yeah, but…it's top-of-the-line!" he protested, picking the camera back up. "What am I supposed to do, _not _play with it?"

"Certainly a start," Naoki said, a small grin growing on his face. None of them knew how much they were being watched or listened to – they were certainly being monitored _somehow_ – which meant they needed to keep their cover going until they could truly get underway with the next phase of the plan. Naoki and Sumiko were chosen for the mission for very specific reasons – Sumiko was very skilled with illusionary magic and other concealing techniques, while Naoki was rather proficient in creating clones which could be used for a variety of purposes. Scouting was foremost among those, but his ninjutsu abilities also let him use those clones to impersonate others, which was his purpose on the team. It was planned that Sumiko would use her illusion skills to give Naoki an opening to create clones of the three of them, which would then leave the premises to displace suspicion while simultaneously allowing them to remain inside the building, hidden by their magical abilities. It would, of course, require them to remain alert and focused so as not to be discovered, but it was much better than openly breaking into the building and setting off every alarm in the place.

"Come on, then. Let's get your phone and then head back to the station – we'll need to work on this story a bit before we head home to make sure we have it done by tomorrow evening."

* * *

The door in front of Arragious felt more like the entrance to a jail cell than a simple door to an _Erudite's _chamber. Walking into a room with only one exit was inviting trouble, especially in a situation of this nature. If something went wrong, he only had one way out, which meant that he could be easily trapped or surrounded, and it would be easy for his foes to use the time spent escaping his initial predicament to direct his path of escape in a manner most favorable to them. Of course, he had considered that, and had already come up with a means of evading that problem.

His hand tightened on the door's handle, and he was inside almost before he himself had realized he'd moved, already in motion towards the sole figure meditating inside.

One male sat in a meditative position in the center of the room, his head down with eyes closed and hands resting on legs clad in dark clothing. A dark red shirt or tunic of sorts covered his entire upper body and bunched up a bit at the waist, appearing as if it would cover part of the lower body as well if standing. Dark bangs framed his eyes as he concentrated, only to shift wildly like the rest of his shoulder-length hair as his eyes snapped open and his head snapped up, looking pointedly at the door that had not been open seconds prior. He reached for one of the twin swords at his side, sheathed in cured brown leather, but froze as cold steel moved to the middle of his neck, held in a hand he couldn't see.

"Hello, _Master _Hirota," a voice whispered, the cruel rasp barely hearable to others but feeling all too loud in his ear.

"N-Nicholai?" he gasped, honestly stunned by the voice he was hearing. "But…you were –"

"Exiled?" Arragious asked innocently, cutting his captive off and smiling underneath his invisibility spell. "Oh, I still am. However, your Creator failed to take into account that such things can be worked around."

"What do you want?" Hirota asked hesitantly, trying to figure out a way to retrieve one of his blades – if he had one, he could potentially get himself out of the situation he was now in.

The smile on Arragious' face became downright cruel as he glanced up at the door, making sure that no one was about to enter. "I want you, Masaki Hirota, to pass on to Soul Society with the knowledge that you have helped seal the imminent demise of your beloved Ethereal Plane."

Arragious' captive gasped, right before he was violently interrupted by the blade of Arragious' knife puncturing his throat once, then twice, followed by a sickening pain in his chest as the razor-sharp edge slid between ribs and punctured muscle and tissue. He choked, hands clutching at a throat that would no longer support air, and felt himself slump sideways as fluid began to soak his tunic. Dimly, he realized that Arragious had been very thorough in those few moments – both wounds would undoubtedly be fatal in short order, provided he didn't heal himself quickly. He started to call up the energy for a healing spell, still not knowing Arragious' position but seeing his survival as the pressing issue…

…then froze as the magical energy of _Silence _washed over him, locking his energy within himself and sealing his fate.

"Farewell, _Master_," Arragious called from somewhere behind him, the mocking edge to his voice softer than before through the haze clouding his mind. "I hope you consider my words for a long, long time."

He shifted painfully to look behind him, still choking on blood and his own lack of air, only to see a section of the wall behind him glow and simply melt away, oozing down as its form suddenly became liquid. The last sight he had before blackness overtook him was a sneering smile and a dark cloak, leaping out into the air beyond the wall.

* * *

Sneaking around First Division, Naoki surmised, would've been next to impossible without the aid of magic.

The area of Third Division that they had been taken to on the fourth floor was relatively lax on the surveillance side compared to the area that they were currently occupying. While there were cameras, they were few and far between. While there were guards, they patrolled scarcely and alone. Neither of these were true in First Division – the guard patrols, they quickly found, were groups of three most often, but they had seen larger groups in places. The cameras were better hidden and rather more numerous, often set into the wall itself near the ceiling and not simply hanging down like the cameras they noticed in the other section of the building. Most all of the doors that they had seen required keycard access as opposed to handles or knobs, and what looked like laser tripwires had been spotted by Darius' keen eyes on more than one doorframe as they moved. In addition, a more mundane obstacle had been found – ironically, despite the fact that normal business hours had been over for some time now, First Division seemed to be even more active than the area of Third Division they'd been taken to during their mock interview. People roamed the halls nearly everywhere; most of them seemed to be in a greater hurry than normal, and more than once the trio had been forced to backtrack in order to not blow their invisibility by accidentally running into someone.

Before they entered First Division, the group had spent some time looking around Third Division, examining the layout of the place both for intelligence purposes and also to keep themselves occupied and focused while they waited for the proper time to move. Replacing themselves with Naoki's clones proved to be a simple task, and it wasn't long before he received the mental feedback from his clones as they dispersed themselves outside the Vector grounds, leaving their equipment in a predefined location. Once that was finished, Naoki had cloaked himself and Darius with a hasty invisibility ninjutsu while Sumiko did the same, and after Naoki assured him that there wouldn't be 'any adverse effects on his chakra usage,' as he had put it, Darius had retaken official command of his team and ordered them to move. They had proceeded to spend roughly forty-five minutes examining the hallways of Third Division, making notes on anything that seemed particularly interesting before proceeding to the second and primary part of their mission.

A quick scan of the hallway they were in turned up nothing that alarmed the Alchemist, and he gave a quick hand signal to his team telling them to stack up at the doorway while he prepared to bypass the door locks. Naoki and Sumiko acknowledged the command, quietly moving towards the office they were seeking just opposite them and stationing themselves on either side of the door. Darius followed suit a moment later, quickly stepping up to the door and bending slightly to take a look at the slot on the door for swiping a keycard. He had a good amount of knowledge on electrical circuits and similar systems of this sort, brought about by a fascination with getting into places that he shouldn't have access to, and a hand rose carefully towards the slot as he prepared to use his alchemical talents.

A quick double-tap on his shoulder stopped him, and he glanced to the side to see Naoki flash the hand signal for 'danger nearby' before moving back towards his original position. He followed a moment later as he saw a white-clad figure walk towards them from down the hall, flanked by Sumiko as she did the same in order to stay out of the path of the approaching person. After a few seconds, they realized both that it was a woman with unusual sky blue hair, and that the white that they had initially taken for clothing looked to be closer to some kind of armored uniform than anything. A holographic projection hovered in front of her eyes like a visor briefly before fading away, the heads-up display apparently built into whatever kind of electronics her armor carried. Darius gave the signal to hold position just to ensure his team's hesitance as the woman turned to the door, quickly swiping a keycard through the slot with a soft 'beep' as the door slid open in front of her.

"Move," Darius whispered, gesturing to the door as he started to stalk towards it again. "Silent takedown. Probably armed – ready Protect magic." The armor he saw looked like nothing more than a version of what Estharian soldiers were known for wearing, though a bit more form-fitting and monochrome as opposed to the metallic shades of the nation's standard infantry armor. The momentary consideration that their cover was blown flew through his mind, but he realized that he'd just have to improvise if that was the case – he'd carry an entire computer back with him if that was what it took to get the job done. Again, Naoki and Sumiko stacked up at the door, and he moved beside Naoki in order to take the primary entry.

The door slid open again as Darius gave the signal to move, stepping inside the room as he quickly brought up disabling magic, scanning the room instantly for the person that he needed to target. The woman was already facing them, having spun the moment the door opened behind her, and waves of debilitating _Slow _magic flowed from Darius' fingers as Naoki and Sumiko flanked him, advancing on their target in tandem to restrain and immobilize them. Neither expected the paramagic to simply flow away from the woman as if impacting a shield, however, and so both were caught off-guard as she snapped a hand up to intercept Naoki's attempt at a nerve strike directed at her neck, smoothly turning the blow aside and pivoting inside his guard to strike his chest with her left hand.

'_Anti-magic field?' _Darius' mind screamed, disbelieving, as Naoki recoiled in pain from the sudden counter. _'Never mind that – we're still invisible! How'd she see him?'_

Sumiko's moment of hesitation worked against her as she let her strike off a moment too slowly, resulting in the woman moving smoothly underneath her strike before jabbing out sharply with one hand, striking her in the base of the throat and instantly causing her to choke and cough as her breathing was suddenly impaired. Darius went to move even as Naoki let the invisibility technique fall, calling up his Alchemy again as he prepared to perform a transmutation on the floor beneath him, but two faint 'clicks' from in front of him heralded the woman's rapid acquisition of twin pistols from magnetic mounts at her sides and the halting of his movements as one of those weapons trained unerringly on his face. The other was also held at the ready, and her eyes darted between Naoki and Sumiko, clearly telling them with a look that she could drop any of them at even the slightest movement. Darius belatedly noted that the holographic display he had seen a minute ago had returned even as a tense silence settled over the room again.

"You're here."

She glanced quickly between the three SeeD officers, and Darius swore that he caught a note of familiarity in her eyes when she looked his way. In the moment it took him to consider that, the woman's pistols fell back to her side and locked back into place with another simple 'click' as she moved past them towards the door.

"You've got ten minutes before I send a security team down here. Work fast."

The door opened behind them, and the woman was gone as quickly as she had come, leaving a thoroughly-confused yet thankful group of SeeD members behind her in the office of Aiva Furello.

* * *

It took precisely seven minutes and forty-one seconds for Hikari Tanaka to make her way from Aiva Furello's office on the sixth floor to the nearest security office, located one floor up, including all checks and identity verifications for entering the office itself. Only one guard was stationed in the room right now, she noticed; the others must be patrolling the floor. A simple nod was all the greeting she gave the uniformed guard, who was positioned in front of a series of monitors linked to the numerous security cameras on the seventh floor, as she stepped over to one of several different consoles in the room and sat down.

**Vector Industries Security Mainframe**

**Username: Hikari Tanaka**

**Password: ****************

…

**Validating login information…**

**Processing…**

…

**Welcome, Hikari Sayoko Tanaka.**

The computer screen in front of her quickly displayed the familiar sight of the security system interface for the building proper – from here, she could access video feeds from any camera in the complex, as well as archived data, audio, video, or any other form of logged information within the Vector Industries servers. She ignored the colorful interface, instead pulling up the comparatively-bare window of the command prompt and positioning it on the right side of the screen in order to see the important data on both windows at once.

** ~ nav First Division\data\system\accesslogs\July 7, 2152\**

** ~ dsp useraccess –l –sl**

The prompt immediately changed to display a list of the users that had accessed data over the course of the day, complete with names, dates, and locations, among other information. Quickly, she glanced at the top of the list, looking for the specific entry she wanted.

**July 7, 2152; 06:08 PM; Furello, Aiva Christine; 637; 000:03:26**

Satisfied that the entry was correct, she turned her attention back to the primary interface, dismissing the prompt and instead browsing her way to the video feeds from the sixth floor. With but a quick series of clicks, she had pulled up the feeds from the past fifteen minutes onto the screen and forwarded them to the point she wanted. As she watched, the feed showed nothing but the intersection nearby Aiva's office and the hallways themselves, as well as her office door – nothing amiss about the recording that could be seen, simply people going about their routines as they passed through the hallways.

Which was precisely as she wanted it.

She had taken a great risk in doing what she had, even being forced to enlist the help of one of her associates in order to do what she had desired; her technical skills, while suitable for her job as head of security, did not feature the in-depth knowledge of computer technology that she had needed. Still, it seemed to have worked from everything that she could see, something for which she knew she would have to thank her associate for. Another swift series of clicks closed the command prompt before logging her out of the system and setting the terminal itself to standby mode once more before she stood up from the chair.

"Working late again, ma'am?" the guard asked, stretching slightly from his sitting position.

"About to leave," she answered, her tone business-like enough to border on emotionless. "I was simply double-checking everything before I did."

"Have a good night, then," he replied, earning a curt nod from her as she walked out. Obviously, the SeeD team had done whatever they needed to do, which meant that her job for the night was done as well. Images of the look on the red-haired boy's face flashed back into her mind as she walked, and she did her best to push them away as she headed towards the elevator. She found it hard enough to sleep these days, and she didn't need anything else weighing on her mind and making that worse.

* * *

Anyone happen to catch the reporter names? All three of them are from Starcraft - after playing Starcraft 2 so much recently, the thought of using those names made me smile enough that I simply ran with it.

Nothing really to say past that for this chapter - I'm working on the next chapter already, and should have it out sometime next weekend. As always, please read and review.


	55. I, IV, VI: Overcast

I've been suffering through a rather annoying bout of Murphy's Law as of late, following right after starting a new job, which is the reason for all the delaying. Hopefully, I can get things back in order at some point in the near future, at least enough so to finish writing the other half of the next chapter that I don't have finished yet.

Begin!_  


* * *

_

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter VI—Overcast_

_

* * *

_

[July 7, 2152 | Esthar, Business District, Estharian Science and Technology Institute, Second Floor | 6:29 PM]

* * *

I've seen some strange things in the time I've been both in Spira and here in Gaia. Flying, human-sized, magic-wielding fish, seven-foot tall canary-yellow birds as large as a horse that serve the same purpose, an airship-sized whale-like creature capable of leveling small towns with a sneeze, and entities masquerading as little girls who can unleash destruction on scales best represented in nuclear yields are just a few of the little things I've come across, and yet…

I can't decide if any of that is stranger than the short little man that I've been looking at for around the past two hours.

"Vat is it?" he asks, noticing my eyes staring at him yet again. "You can't zit here for ten zeconds vithout moving?"

An exasperated sigh escapes my lips as I continue to stare at the man, Doctor Hans Odine, and his weird outfit – the purple robe and odd-looking, foot-wide collar in shades of red and white only serve to put him far, _far _out of place in the otherwise professional-looking institute. He doesn't look at me as I stand up from my chair, seeming to tower over him even at my relatively short height, but instead turns to a computer screen and begins to analyze something with a thoughtful expression.

"I'm just wondering how much longer I'm going to have to wait here," I say, folding my arms. "I've been through an hour and a half of tests – you can't tell me how long getting the results will take, can you?"

"Zis iz delicate!" he exclaims, walking back over and poking me in the chest emphatically. "Zis process iz not something that iz just vinished in minutes! I vill tell you myzelf when ze process is complete!"

With a huff, he starts to head back over towards the computer panels in the room as I sit back down, annoyed at the lengthy testing, the inactivity, and the tiny doctor's attitude in equal parts.

"I kinda want to strangle you with that puffy frock," I mutter, flopping back down into the chair.

"You'll have to forgive Doctor Odine," another voice says from nearby, this one female. "He can be a bit…eccentric."

"Can you get Doctor Odine to be a bit _less_ of an insufferable genius?" I ask, a bit more snappily than I care for. The woman doesn't say anything for a moment, and I sigh again before looking over at her, tilting my head to massage one side of my forehead at the same time. "Sorry, Dr. Mizrahi. I don't like being idle too well, and I don't care too much for being prodded either. This is driving me just a bit crazy."

The woman, an older woman in around her thirties dressed in the red and white uniform that I've seen most of the scientists and doctors wearing here, nods understandingly at me from the desk nearby. "I understand – to be honest, we don't often see young people like you coming for studies, especially not of this particular nature," she says, shoulder-length brown hair shifting slightly as she looks over.

"Mizrahi!"

"Yes, doctor?"

"Come take a look at zis, vill you?"

Dr. Mizrahi quickly stands up, striding over to the terminal that Dr. Odine is sitting at and stepping behind it to focus her eyes on the displayed data.

"Vat do you make of zis?" he asks, and I can see the woman bend slightly to take a better look at the screen.

"Are those…wait, that can't be right…" she mutters, before looking up at me. "You're a Trabian SeeD, correct?"

"Right," I say, standing up again and starting to walk towards them. "What about it?"

"Do you use Guardian Forces?"

"Yes."

"Were they junctioned?" she asks, and my look of confusion seems to register to her a moment later, causing her to amend her statement. "During the last test – did you have any Guardian Forces junctioned to yourself?"

"No," I reply, wondering where she could be going with this line of questioning. "I only have Shiva, and she was unjunctioned – Odine told me to before he started the test."

"Zee? Now, vat could be causing zis anomaly?" he asks Mizrahi, who looks about equally as confused as I am.

"I…doctor, I really don't know," she replies, shaking her head before looking at me. "Do you mind repeating that last test? I'm afraid that we may have received some incorrect readings for some reason."

Hesitantly, I nod, both at the idea of enduring another thirty minutes in the mildly-confining machine that I'd been examined by before as well as the idea that something really could be seriously wrong – what would cause them to ask whether I had really had all my GFs unjunctioned? Dr. Mizrahi nods, moving around the desk again as she starts heading towards another corner of the room, featuring a large machine made of white and gray metal resembling nothing so much as a giant vertical tube. The front of the machine opens to each side, I know, much like a set of elevator doors but in a semi-circular fashion, and the metal 'doors' are actually made in three sections to deal with claustrophobic patients, as Doctor Odine explained to me during my first time in the thing. As I watch, the three panels open outward to allow me to step inside the machine, which looks much more high-tech on the inside, featuring sensors lining the walls in a number of myriad forms along with other objects which I don't recognize. The two top-most panels close as I turn around, facing the outside of the machine, and I can hear rapid typing from Dr. Mizrahi outside as the machine begins to power up.

"Just stay calm, like before. It'll be over before you know it."

'_I really wish it was _already_ over,' _I think to myself, sighing and closing my eyes as I try to relax amid the deep hums of the testing machine. Nothing I can do now but wait and think, it seems, and neither of those are sitting well with me right now.

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Timber, Sheridan Excavation Services, Train Yard | 7:14 PM]

* * *

Sheridan Mining, as it was more commonly known by the Timber locals, was a quaint little company set right at the base of one of the large, rocky cliffs that lay some forty or fifty miles outside the city in the direction of Galbadia. It had been founded fourteen years prior by a man named Walter Sheridan, a Dollet native, and had been owned and operated by his family ever since then. Walter Sheridan, unfortunately, had passed away several years ago, leaving the company in the hands of his son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Marie Sheridan. The pair moved from Dollet to Timber soon after the death of Andrew's father, and following some legal paperwork and a few business talks, Sheridan Mining was once again in capable hands. Before long, Andrew had become rather accustomed to living in the smaller rural town as opposed to the larger, more sophisticated seaside town of Dollet, and he found himself developing a great deal of sympathy for the Timber natives suffering under the rule of Vinzer Deling. After giving it a great deal of thought both alone and in talks with his wife, they made a mutual decision to help the only real way they knew how.

From that point on, the resistance movement in Timber – the Forest Owls – found themselves the recipients of rather mysterious funding from unknown beneficiaries at evenly-spaced intervals. Very few people knew that Sheridan Mining's owners had a part in the Timber resistance, and the information was kept very quiet even now; for their part, Andrew and Marie kept the books straight by writing such funding off as "charitable donations," leaving only those closest to them any the wiser of where the money had really been going. In the past few months, though, the pair had begun to worry that they had been caught and were being retaliated against indirectly. Shipments of mineral ore and other materials to Esthar and Dollet had found themselves attacked and even hijacked by, for lack of a better word, bandits. It had cost the company several hundred thousand Gil to replace lost equipment and manpower, and that wasn't even counting the millions of Gil they found themselves losing in the actual shipments themselves. The funding had lowered steadily over the past few months, and those closest to both the resistance and the company had started keeping their distance from each other to try and dissuade anyone from proving the connections. It wasn't illegal by any means, but no one wanted Galbadians with a bit too much animosity towards Timber to find out and decide to deal with the situation as they saw fit.

The Forest Owls, however, had caught a lucky break when Vinzer Deling had been killed at the hands of Sorceress Edea, and then yet another when his son met an untimely end at the hands of an assassin barely a year later. Now, it seemed, former general Hibrom Caraway seemed set to take the presidency of the nation away from the Deling family's hands for good this time, following his brief stint as acting leader of Galbadia following the senior Deling's death. No one else in the Deling family wanted to try their luck against the honored military figure, and the only other people running were senators that most held in the same regards as the fiends that roamed the world as the result of Lunar Cries. It seemed to foretell good futures for Timber and the Galbadian nation as a whole, an omen of better things to come following the aims of a dictator and sorceress in years past.

"You're being such a baby about this!"

Andréa's ear perked up as a young female voice drifted through the train yard that her team was currently occupying. A large freight train of around twenty cars was set up and ready to go, from the looks of it, with several cars loaded down with freshly-cut wood as well as treated lumber, while other cars held varying amounts of stone, coal, and mineral ores presumably mined from the hills of the area. A low rumbling filled the air from the engines of the large train, dulling the noise of their footsteps as they moved.

The SeeD team leader casually stepped around the end of the train itself, coming almost face-to-face with a woman that looked to be a couple years older than her own twenty years, though still best described as girlishly cute. Short blond hair framed an innocent-looking face that was currently wearing a rather frustrated expression, as well as a modest body covered by a floral-patterned sundress and sandals. She walked alongside a young man, the apparent source of her irritation, with short dark hair and rather plain clothes; a simple blue sweater and dark blue shorts was all that he wore along with a pair of brown leather boots.

"Hey, I'm not the one who –" the man started to protest, cutting himself off as he noticed Andréa and the two behind her step around the train car. "Who're you?"

"We're here about a contract," Andréa said calmly, not showing any interest in their squabble. She'd been given descriptions and names of people to look out for as mission contacts, and while the man she was looking at matched one of those descriptions, the woman wasn't in any of the files. Just in case, she decided to keep things vague for the moment. The man seemed to take in the appearance of the three for several seconds, his eyes drifting to the scythe strapped to Andréa's back and the gunblade at Tetsuya's side before he finally nodded.

"The new security we hired, huh?" he asked, receiving another nod for his trouble. "Glad to see you're here. My name's Zone – I'm a friend of the company owner."

"I'm Erica," the girl said, almost a bit too cheerily as she waved politely. "Dad'll be happy to hear that the new contract finally went through, won't he?" Zone gave a half-hearted agreement as he leaned up against the train car nearest him, still examining the trio of SeeD officials before him. Andréa and Tetsuya didn't seem to catch much more attention from him, but Yuki's quiet fourteen year-old form earned a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look directed towards Andréa.

"You guys sure don't look like security," he commented, glancing back at Yuki again, "but I guess that's the whole point, isn't it?" Andréa shrugged, not answering one way or the other.

"How do we know you're really qualified for this?" Erica suddenly asked, her voice now a bit calmer and more restrained. "I mean, you _do _have a girl with you that can't be more than sixteen."

"Yuki? Demonstrate."

Andréa had halfway expected that Erica's question might've been asked by someone, and Yuki nodded as she caught the meaning behind Andréa's words. Tetsuya's face shifted into a faint smile as magic gathered around all five present, flotation magic suddenly taking hold and lifting them all a foot off the ground accompanied by brief, startled cries from Erica and Zone. Yuki seemed to be putting little effort at all behind the spell itself, as well, focusing instead on Andréa as she began to speak.

"I would advise you not to discount Yuki because of her age. Trabia's programs of study are primarily magic-oriented, and Yuki is one of the most promising SeeD that Trabia has seen in recent years. I assure you, she is more than qualified for this mission."

The spell faded away as Yuki released her grasp on the magical energy, letting everyone drop back to the ground safely. Erica looked a bit startled, but nodded quickly, deciding to take Andréa's advice to heart.

"So, we're just watching a train?" Tetsuya asked. "Anything you can tell us about what or who we're up against?"

"I wish we knew ourselves," Zone said, shaking his head. "We've been attacked a couple times now. Once, they didn't bother with an attack – they just bribed the guy driving the engine and stole the whole train. We never figured out what happened to it."

"You're sure it's the same people behind each attack?" Andréa asked.

"Absolutely," Erica said, beginning to lead Andréa's team alongside the train towards the engine cars. "Red outfits, black vests, black masks over the nose and mouth. Always the same, except for the one incident Zone just mentioned." Ahead, the SeeD team could see several people moving between a large building and one of the engines, apparently prepping the train to depart. Defending a moving train would be difficult, she knew, especially considering the myriad number of ways to attack such a thing.

"We were told something about paramagical use from the attackers," the blindfold-clad girl continued, causing Erica to stop as Zone went on ahead towards the front of the train.

"That's right," she replied. "We had a few security guards on duty the first time we were attacked, a couple months ago, but they couldn't do anything against these guys. Bullets just bounced off of some kind of magical shields, and they were throwing fire and lightning everywhere. We didn't have a chance to even think up a plan before they'd taken over the train. After that, we brought in more security, better weapons, but…it never had much of an effect. It finally got to the point where we didn't know what to do, up until Zone decided that he was going to try and call in SeeD – said they'd done it once before, back when Deling was still in charge."

"You were there to see all this?"

Erica's head dropped a bit. "No, but…that's what I heard from everyone, at least. I mean, I don't really have a reason not to believe it, but –"

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Andréa interrupted. "I'm just trying to get an accurate picture of the situation."

"Sorry," she murmured, looking back up again. "It's just…we haven't really been able to do anything about this, so a lot of us are starting to lose hope. A lot of people quit right after the first attack, and it hasn't gotten any better, no matter what we've tried."

"Don't look so down," Tetsuya said, putting a hand on Erica's shoulder. "They can push around a couple security guards, but we'll make these guys regret tangling with SeeD. Right, Andréa?"

"Boundless optimism as always, Tetsuya," she quipped, looking back at Erica. "But yes. We'll get the job done – it's what we're paid to do."

"How long before the train leaves?" Tetsuya queried, looking past Erica at the engineers moving around the two engine cars attached to the train.

"Probably not long," she said, following his gaze and noticing Zone talking to an engineer standing on the steps leading inside the second engine. "It looks like they're getti –"

A loud roar suddenly cut over the dull sounds of the train engines as the ground exploded nearby, causing Tetsuya and Yuki to flinch and Erica to scream at the sudden violent noise. Andréa's head snapped around only to 'stare' at the form of a small, hovering airship colored in dark red, black, and silver metal. The craft itself was sleek and vaguely arrow-shaped, but the first thing that caught Andréa's notice was the lowered portion of one side of the aircraft, seemingly designed for quick entry and exit to the main body of the ship. She could see a figure standing up near the edge of the opened side, shouldering a weapon of some kind that they were attempting to reload, as well as lines hanging from the side upon which more figures were sliding down to the ground.

Whoever they were, Andréa's first impression was that they were most definitely professionals, and SeeD training wasn't quite out of the question yet. Her thoughts didn't keep her from barking out orders, however, even as she reached for the scythe on her back.

"Tetsuya – get her inside to safety, and then handle that airship! Yuki – protection and support! Make sure the civilians have a chance to get to cover!"

Tetsuya was already pulling Erica away towards one of the structures by the time she finished speaking, a protection spell from Yuki flowing over both of them as they moved. Satisfied, Andréa turned back towards the group of red-clad figures that were storming the train yard and began to focus, a protection spell also flowing over her as energy began to melt away from her form and solidify into several chain-bound humanoid spirits. There were only around twelve or so enemies that she could see, and they were already splitting up and taking cover at various points around the area – likely, they intended for that airship above them to cover them as they moved.

Well, that simply wouldn't do at all.

A quick gesture sent an explosive burst of _Fire _magic towards one of the hiding figures that flushed him out impressively, parts of his uniform burning even as Andréa sent him to the ground with a following blast of magic. Yuki added her own touch as she cast enhancing magic on herself before following up with a pair of _Blizzaga _spells that sprouted from the ground in front of Andréa in thick icy walls, giving her additional cover from any retaliation for the moment. One of those walls exploded mere seconds after it was created, sending jagged shards of ice scattering around the area following the impact of a fragmentation grenade from the airship bay's sole remaining occupant. The team leader sent a quick burst of lightning up towards the airship that struck the side, not doing any real damage but causing the one wielding the grenade launcher to slide further into cover for a moment.

That moment was all the time Tetsuya needed to carry out the other part of Andréa's order.

The air snapped and crackled as it was suddenly filled with electrical energy, thick clouds seeming to swirl into existence in seconds as Tetsuya's summoned Guardian Force began manifesting. A swirling figure began to emerge from the clouds, a bright yellow and green form that suddenly spread impressive tapered wings out wide to reveal its full bird-like appearance. Quezacotl, Guardian Force of Lightning, flapped its thin wings for a moment as it hovered above the three SeeDs before electrical energy began to gather at the tip of its 'beak,' quickly expanding into a ball of energy at the fore of its head.

Andréa could almost picture the look of distress on the airship pilot's face as Quezacotl unleashed the storm of energy, engulfing the airship in a massive web of lightning that sparked and pitted the hull of the craft even as it tried to get away. She saw the one who had been launching grenades fall over inside the bay as the airship rapidly retreated, sparks worming across its hull as the pilot tried to keep the airship from crashing after the electrical attack.

Shimmers of energy caught Andréa's attention following the summoned creature's magical attack, and she looked out over the field again from cover to see several of the red-clad invaders clap their hands together, prompting a deluge of attacks of various types – a stream of water flew towards Tetsuya from one enemy, electrified by a quick jolt of lightning from a second, while two powerful bursts of fire erupted into Andréa's shield, forcing her back and causing her to send in her spirits to give her a moment to gather herself.

"Andréa!" Yuki shouted, quickly casting _Shell _magic over her body and running up towards her to help with the counterattack. "They're –"

"Alchemists," she said, nodding in an acknowledging fashion. "I know. We need to hit them hard and fast – can't let them use any of the abilities they might have." Yuki watched for a moment as four spirits of Andréa's creation began to attack the invading figures, using small bursts of elemental energy that were quickly countered by retaliatory use of Alchemy, before nodding quietly.

"I'll use my GF."

"Then we'll get our hands dirty," the older SeeD said, looking to the third member of their team. "Tetsuya! With me!"

"Got it!" he shouted, unsheathing the gunblade at his side and joining Andréa as she began to run towards their enemies. There was a moment of hesitation in the ranks of the invaders as they saw the seemingly suicidal charge, but they reacted quickly as they began to pour elemental power into the pair of approaching SeeDs. Bolts, waves, and bursts of fire, ice, lightning, and other elements raced forward at the duo, but they remained unfazed as the energy of _Haste _played over their bodies, increasing their speed by a large margin over the attackers.

Andréa spun fluidly around a burst of fire before cutting apart a small ice wave with her scythe and closing in on the one who had fired it. She left the man no time to react, doubling him over as the hilt of her scythe met his stomach before she drove a knee into his face, knocking him back and off his feet to lie motionless on the ground. Immediately, she spun again and tore a geyser of water in twain before advancing on that attacker as well, tearing into his left leg's upper portion and crippling him before slashing across his chest and leaving him in a ragged, bleeding heap.

Tetsuya's gunblade fired across from his companion, and a man went down with a gaping wound in his torso inflicted by the concussive weapon. Another tried to spear him from behind with a long, straight saber, but found his weapon jarred sharply upward before the heavy gunblade sliced across his chest as well, firing again and leaving a vicious wound that sprayed crimson into the air. A lightning bolt blasted into his side suddenly from a third direction, causing Tetsuya to stumble and jerk both from the pain and momentary loss of motor control, but his junctions mitigated the damage enough to allow him to recover before the offender closed in completely. Tetsuya allowed himself a bit of a smirk at the man's horrified realization that his target wasn't incapacitated, right before blowing the man off his feet with a concentrated _Thundaga _spell from short range.

The remainder of the force, now at only about half their strength, seemed hesitant to attack the two SeeDs in the middle of the combat – while they were well-trained, they were not used to facing opponents like SeeD, and most had no interest in throwing their lives away simply for money they'd never be able to spend. Their brief seconds of hesitance worked even further against them as the magical energy in the air increased rapidly, Yuki's Guardian Force finally making itself manifest behind her two teammates. What seemed to be a slender, skimpily-dressed woman materialized before Yuki, long blond hair falling alongside two long, green and yellow feathered wings – the form of the Guardian Force Siren. A harp melted into existence in her hands as she looked towards the ground, and she began to play as she closed her eyes, a silent melody streaming forth from the harp strings as waves of barely-visible magical force that split and moved towards each of the remaining enemies.

Andréa and Tetsuya both backed off slightly as the remaining enemies were assaulted by the energy pulses, watching as they flinched and shook in pain as the energy passed through them. Yuki moved up to rejoin the pair, watching intently as one of the Alchemists recovered and clapped their hands to use their power…only to have nothing happen, Siren's magical Silence effect having subtly taken hold on them during the attack. A look of dawning realization slowly began to appear on the group of foes, which gave way to fear moments later as the SeeDs prepared to attack again. One foe at the back broke and made to run, and that was all it took to cause a scrambling retreat from the rest, breaking into a full run in the direction that Tetsuya's summon had forced their airship.

"Problem solved," Tetsuya said, flipping his gunblade over and sliding it back into its sheath. "Looks like they need some work on that Alchemy of theirs, huh, sis?"

"Eyes up, Tetsuya," Andréa replied, 'staring' straight ahead with her covered visage. "That's not all of them."

Even now, Tetsuya was still unnerved as to how she could see perfectly fine while effectively blind, but he did as instructed. One of the group's members had stayed behind, it seemed, and was now facing the trio of SeeDs from afar. Slowly and deliberately, they reached up and removed the pair of cloth coverings that hid all but their eyes from view, revealing dark hair tied back into a tight bun and a feminine face with bright red lips curled into a small smirk.

'_Seems they got some better security,' _the woman thought to herself, watching each of the three with equal care. _'Guardian Forces…which means only one thing.'_

She was fully aware of the reputation that SeeD held in the world, particularly following the events after the attempted assassination of Sorceress Edea some time ago. Even one wasn't to be taken lightly; three posed a significant problem to small forces like hers, Alchemy or no. The older female and male seemed to be skilled with melee attacks, though she'd caught a glimpse of magical skills with the spirits that the older girl had summoned at the start. The smaller girl seemed to be exclusively a mage, or otherwise weak in melee combat, as she had made no move yet to do anything outside of magical attack and defense.

"My, my," she began, taking a few light steps forward towards the group of SeeD officers. "How quickly you dispatched the few under my command…as if anything else could be expected."

"I would have thought you would have taken the hint along with your men," Andréa said casually, watching the woman carefully as she took each step. "Or is your eyesight deficient?"

The red-clad woman laughed, the sound coming across as a sharp, mocking tone that rang across the now-quiet area. "Coming from one who wears a hood over her eyes! You aren't aware of who I am, then?"

"Besides an obstacle? It doesn't matter."

"Someone wasn't taught manners growing up, it seems," the woman said, the smirk unwavering on her face. "Kirce Valtroux – am I to assume that you're so ill-mannered as to not return an introduction in kind?"

Andréa didn't respond to the arrogant woman, instead sharing a brief glance with each of her teammates. "Tetsuya, Yuki. Pay close attention to her – I'm going to engage her personally. I want the two of you to assess her capabilities and then move in to assist me once the scales tip one way or the other."

"Got it."

"Okay."

_(Play: Fight Tune "Crimson Impact" – Masashi Hamauzu, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus)_

Kirce had to admit that she was impressed by the speed and fluidity of her opponent's opening attack – the scythe in Andréa's hands was lunging forward almost before Kirce's mind really registered the movement. Fortunately, a moment was enough, and Kirce's arms shot up in a block as the scythe clanged off of something metallic, deflecting off to the side as Kirce turned away and removed her arms from beneath the blade. Andréa caught the faintest shimmer of colored metal underneath the long sleeves of Kirce's shirt as the red-clad woman moved before her foe's hand twitched, fingers snapping as an eldritch glow briefly emanated from the back of her right hand. The air in front of Andréa suddenly burst into flame, the Flame Alchemy forcefully and suddenly causing her to draw back and put some space between them again after her initial strike.

'_Flame…just like Katanas,' _she mused, twirling the scythe before casting magic over herself, the _Shell _magic briefly manifesting as a pink barrier around her before fading away. _'Nothing I can't handle.'_

The scythe flashed again, cutting apart another ball of fire from the Alchemist in front of her before she moved, whipping the scythe in horizontally but finding her range not quite enough to land a blow as her opponent evaded. She pressed the attack, leaping forward and fluidly bringing the scythe around once more to cut down in front of her, tearing the ground apart as she momentarily wielded the large blade one-handed thanks to her junctions, the dirt offering the resistance of butter against the finely-edged weapon. The weapon came around again as Kirce struck out with her right fist, the flat of the blade meeting flesh to block the strike easily –

The _Shell _magic around Andréa suddenly flared as Kirce let a torrent of fire loose from her hand that completely engulfed the blinded woman, eating away at the magic and causing her teammates to shield their faces from the heat of the technique.

'_Maybe not just like Katanas,' _Andréa mentally corrected, struggling to 'see' her opponent through the fiery haze. _'Katanas doesn't punch people with Alchemy.'_

Another burst of fire dissipated against Andréa's scythe blade, and she immediately turned in that direction, lunging from the remnants of the fiery cloud and bringing her scythe around towards her now-revealed foe. Blade clashed against metal again, and the sleeves of Kirce's shirt were sliced raggedly as the metal bracers on her forearms saved her from losing those same forearms, the crippling strike instead turned into one that threw her from her feet as the last of the fire disappeared from the air.

'_Not very strong…can't have junctions, or she'd have blocked that better. Can't be SeeD.'_

Satisfied with her assessment, Andréa moved towards Kirce again, intent on following up with a crippling strike while she had the advantage. The woman seemed to be all bluster, and if she was all that was in the way of completing the mission, Andréa figured that she should go ahead and end things while she had the chance. There was no point in drawing out a mission just for personal enjoyment, unlike a certain red-headed Alchemist she knew of.

Another flash of magic caught Andréa's attention almost at the same time that she found herself stumbling, a sharp pain in her leg asserting itself and causing her to skid to a stop, planting the hilt of her scythe into the ground quickly to keep her balance.

"Andréa!" Tetsuya called, his voice reaching her ears as she glanced down towards her left leg, noticing that something appeared to have burned a small hole clean through the upper portion of her leg, above the knee. As she looked back up, she saw Kirce in a kneeling position with her left arm outstretched, hand smoking faintly from…something. The attack had been subtle and fast – she hadn't really noticed Kirce release the attack, merely the aftermath. Through the momentary haze of pain, her mind registered exactly what the attack had been, even as unlikely as it seemed to her.

'_Lightning Alchemy, too?'_

To an Alchemist, training in an elemental proficiency such as Fire or Lightning-element Alchemy was usually a lifelong affair. Most Alchemists worked with a single elemental proficiency for their entire lives, continuing to refine and perfect the art as much as they could both in and out of combat. Rarely, however, would one decide to branch out and instead learn about multiple elemental proficiencies. The benefits were many; choosing two proficiencies that complimented each other could often give the Alchemist an advantage much greater than the sum of the two parts. Water and Ice, for example, were mutually beneficial because of the potential to use created water for Ice Alchemy or melted ice for Water Alchemy. However, it was almost impossible for one who specialized so to be as good at any one branch of elemental Alchemy as someone who had solely practiced that element.

Andréa was spared from further attack by the sudden flight of a thick metal pipe in Kirce's direction, the large metallic piece propelled by a combination of _Float _and _Aero _magic from Tetsuya and Yuki. It slammed into the ground where Kirce had been crouching as she leapt away, tearing a short but deep trench in the earth before coming to a stop as the pair moved to reinforce their leader.

"You alright?" Tetsuya asked, taking a defensive stance in front of Andréa as he looked back towards her.

"It's…restrictive, but I'll live," she stated, keeping her face carefully neutral despite the pain as she cast some curative magic on the wound. It would stop what little bleeding the heat of the bolt hadn't stopped already, but it would take a bit more care to heal that she couldn't afford in combat conditions right now.

"Dual-talent Alchemy?" Yuki asked, a bit of awe creeping into her voice. "But…I've never heard of anyone doing that!"

"It happens," the older girl said, keeping careful watch of Kirce, who seemed to be observing them for the moment. "Rare, but it exists. Most find it more practical to focus on one element."

"Jumping in to protect your leader?" Kirce said, her singsong voice holding a mocking edge to it. "How heroic!"

"Yuki, cover me. I'm gonna wipe the smirk off her face," Tetsuya said, gunblade back in his hands again. His sister nodded, calling up magical energies, and he took off in a leisurely jog towards the Alchemist that turned into a full-on sprint halfway through. Tetsuya's gunblade led his charge, slicing and stabbing out as he began to engage the grinning female in melee combat.

To his chagrin, she was more agile than he was, obviously being trained in some form of close combat which let her keep ahead of his whirling gunblade. A quick sweep was ducked under, a thrust parried by the metal bracers and countered with an equally fast burst of fire that Tetsuya bulled through like it didn't exist, surprising the woman enough for him to slam into her with a shoulder charge. She rolled backwards, but regained enough control over her direction after a few moments to turn her uncontrolled fall into a more controlled hop back to a crouching position.

"Such a…_brutish _fighting style," she commented with a distinctly unladylike grunt of pain. "Didn't they teach you any finesse at that academy of yours?"

"Of course they did. My sister's about to demonstrate," Tetsuya said, his face lighting up as he let a smirk of his own play across it. Kirce's self-satisfied expression suddenly shifted into a look of surprise as thin, faint lines of energy suddenly erupted all around her in a sort of net or web of magical power, stinging her body and numbing the parts of it touched or caught by the intricate pattern.

'_Paralysis magic?' _she thought with shock, realizing all at once that she'd been played for a fool as she fought to get her muscles to obey her again. Yuki calmly stepped towards her brother, still weaving magic around her hands as she advanced.

"You can still surrender," she told Kirce, keeping the innocent look on her face as she watched the offending Alchemist. "We're not going to hurt you if you give up, you know."

"Ha!" she exclaimed, parts of her left arm and right leg moving sluggishly from the magical paralysis. "You think that the _Dragon's Breath Alchemist _would surrender to a bunch of kids? SeeD or not, you're a few years too young to stand up against someone like me!"

"Really, now," Andréa said, still supporting herself more on her right side to compensate for the wound in her leg. "Let's test that theory. Yuki, if you would?"

"_Hai," _she said quietly, looking somewhat regretful as she finished channeling her magic of choice and began propelling it outwards. The visible net of energy began to take on a faint black sheen as Yuki pushed more magic into the paralyzing spell, this spell a distinctly different kind of magic from the debilitating energy.

Tetsuya blinked for a moment as he watched Yuki weave the new spell's magic into the existing paralysis spell and then hastily began retreating, realizing after a second or two what she intended to do at Andréa's direction. Kirce began to speak as Tetsuya moved away, but whatever she intended to say was drowned out by a loud roar as Yuki ignited the magical _Oil _spell she'd cast upon the net, instantly turning the entire area Kirce was standing in into a massive conflagration.

It only took a moment for her to come stumbling out of the magical inferno, parts of her clothes alight with flickering flame that she hastily stamped out with her sleeves as she coughed. Most Alchemists who trained in an element eventually developed a sort of inherent resistance to their element of choice due to the long periods of time spent manipulating those particular energies, but it was an extreme rarity to find one who had trained long enough to become nearly immune to that element's effects – building up tolerance of that sort required decades of hard work that Andréa knew their foe most certainly did not have.

"…Are you really inane enough to use fire against someone like me?" Kirce demanded, straightening despite the pain she was in as her eyes flared in anger. She lashed out again as the fingers on both hands snapped, the fire behind her suddenly rushing forward and spreading out towards the trio before her. Yuki's eyes widened as she quickly tried to throw up a barrier against the oncoming flames, only to realize she was too slow as the flames engulfed the trio of SeeDs just as they had Kirce moments prior.

"You brought that on yourselves!" she yelled, enjoying the sight of the three being roasted by the magical fire. The flames crackled for several seconds longer before they shifted suddenly and violently, being blown away in an instant as Andréa spun in a vicious mid-air tornado with her scythe extended, energy emanating from the edge of the blade. She landed gracefully, looking somewhat singed but still seeming to have plenty of fight left in her; Tetsuya and Yuki, she noticed, looked much the same, though Tetsuya had taken the brunt of the flames due to Yuki's last-second barrier. Casually, she brought the scythe back across her shoulder before nodding towards Tetsuya and Yuki, uttering a single word.

"Go."

"On i -"

Tetsuya's body suddenly jerked, cutting him off in mid-sentence as Yuki gasped in horror. Weakly, he clutched at his chest as Kirce lowered her right hand, dropping his gunblade as he placed a hand over the area where a thin bolt of the Alchemist's electrical energy had just pierced.

"_Nii-san!"_

Yuki immediately rushed to Tetsuya's side as he sank to one hand and his knees on the ground, blood running from a small, half-cauterized hole piercing him straight through his upper body. In the few seconds it took Yuki to get to him, he was already gasping for breath, desperately trying to keep himself calm in order to keep himself from going into shock. The wound hurt much more than any other wound he'd had in the past, barring one gunshot that he'd taken during a mission a few weeks prior – and even then, his junctions had helped both lessen the physical damage from that and help him deal with the pain. _This_ felt more like someone had taken a red-hot rod and rammed it through his chest, then left it there to burn him from the inside-out.

"Tetsuya!" Yuki cried again, putting one hand on his shoulder as she tried to look at the wound, quickly but gently moving his hand aside for a better view.

"C-Can't breathe," he managed to choke out, glancing over at her for a moment as he fought the urge to move his hand back where it had just been. Yuki fought back the urge to grimace all at once as she realized what the bolt had done – most likely, it had punctured a lung, which was very dangerous in safe conditions, let alone combat. If she didn't do something to treat it immediately, it could wind up being fatal as the lung tissue struggled to keep the ability to inhale and exhale, eventually resulting in asphyxiation.

While she had taken medical classes, a situation like this was one that hadn't been addressed in her studies – she had no idea how long she had to help, which meant that she could have a half hour or five minutes. If that was the case, then there were two things that needed to happen. First, she needed to do what she could to at least seal the wound for the moment and hope that it helped enough to keep him alive until they could get back to Garden and properly treat it. That led into the second part – the battle had to be ended, immediately.

"Andréa!" she yelled, looking around for the blind woman and finding her once again engaged in combat with the Alchemist, apparently having attacked again to let Yuki assess Tetsuya's condition. "SMD!"

Magic gathered in her hands as she turned her attention back to Tetsuya, confident that Andréa would keep the situation in hand long enough for her to try and stabilize her brother. She was beginning to form a rough plan in her mind to deal with the injury, though she'd only considered it in the realm of theory before now. A _Curaga _spell played over her hands as she pumped curative energies into the chest wound, hoping to at least mostly seal up the lung tissue and other potential internal damage before she cast her next spell.

"Yu –"

"Don't talk. _Stop _magic," she said, channeling the energy for the magic even as Tetsuya gave a short, weak nod, understanding her intent.

_Slow _and _Stop _magic were grouped into a classification of magic that, for lack of a better group name, was termed "Time Magic" by scholars, a group which also included _Haste _magic and several other spells. The name was actually a bit of a misnomer, as the spells in the group didn't actually have anything to do with manipulating time flow, but rather manipulated physiological processes. _Haste_, for example, sped up the electrical signals that flowed throughout the body, increasing the body's natural abilities, reaction time, and the brain's ability to process the information at faster rates. _Slow _magic did just the opposite, slowing down those signals, thereby reducing the physical abilities of the afflicted. _Stop _magic was partially an extension of the abilities of _Slow _magic and partially more like the classification's namesake – it effectively froze all physiological processes for the duration, for good or ill, almost as if the person had been placed in a bubble outside of time. This had benefits and drawbacks; while it could stop negative afflictions such as poisoning or trauma for a short time, it could also cause the body to atrophy if left under the spell's effect for too long.

Tetsuya's body seemed to freeze in its place as Yuki cast the magic over him, a light sheen overtaking him that flowed and moved over his form. She finally let out the breath she'd been holding as the magic took full effect, her breath coming in quick pants as she stood back up. She had cast a lot of magic, and she was nearing the limit of her abilities now. Looking over, she saw Andréa still fighting, though it looked now like she was gradually losing – the wound in her leg was slowing her down, and despite the presence of two summoned spirits that were keeping the pressure on, Kirce looked to be gaining the advantage through the use of her Alchemy skills.

Newfound energy surged through Yuki's veins as she cast one final spell on herself, pushing herself to draw on the specialized training she'd been given as a member of SeeD as the _Aura _magic infused her body with renewed power. She took hold of her emotions and used that to fuel the fire within her, letting out a yell as she pulled on that power and forced it outward in the form of her _Limit _technique. Motes of energy began to form in front of her, hovering in the air as she pushed energy into the technique until ten had fully materialized before her body, each brightly glimmering with a different color. She let out another yell as she threw her arms forward, setting each of the motes on a different path to the same target – the Alchemist in front of her. Andréa, while looking quite a bit worse for wear, still realized what was about to happen and quickly disengaged from her target, letting her remaining spirit close in and absorb the brunt of a fiery blast for her as she retreated.

Kirce's instant of surprise at Andréa's retreat quickly turned into panic as she saw the spiraling energy beams of Yuki's _Limit _bearing down on her, and she snapped her fingers to release another torrent of fire at almost the exact same time that the beams converged and detonated on her position, releasing another explosion of various elemental energies that nearly threw Andréa further backwards. Spent, Yuki collapsed to the ground beside Tetsuya's frozen form, utterly drained of her _mana._

A small blast of fire suddenly exploded directly in front of Yuki, knocking her back onto the ground with a short cry to lie there, unable to move due to fatigue and pain. Andréa made to move once again to try and salvage the situation, but was forced back by a bolt of lightning that just missed her intact leg as Kirce reappeared from the dirt kicked up by the explosion of Yuki's _Limit._

"You. Can't. _Beat. __**Me!**__" _she screamed, punctuating each word with a blast of fire that finally toppled the SeeD squad leader, leaving her dazed and burned on the ground as she tried to recover from the flames. Kirce looked like she was going to collapse at any moment, sheer rage appearing to be all that was keeping her going despite all the magical burns, bloody cuts, and bruises covering her body. The crimson, cloak-like cloth that she wore over her shirt was little more than tattered fabric now, and she had a painful-looking cut across her midriff that was still dripping blood, not to mention the multitude of burned patches of fabric and equally-burned skin that dotted her body. "You're just kids! Weak, arrogant _kids _that need to learn a _lesson!"_

Eyes wild, she snapped again with both hands, releasing a widespread wave of fire that threatened to engulf the three SeeD officers…

...only to have it melt away into nothingness nearly the instant it left her hands.

The clattering of boots on rock filled the suddenly-silent train yard, and Kirce snapped again to no avail; her Alchemy refused to respond to her will, cut off from her by the power of _Silence _magic. Her expression became horrified as she looked past Tetsuya and Yuki towards the source of the sound, mind finally processing what – or rather, _who _– she was seeing.

"…You…!"

Black boots came to a stop in the train yard, the figure wearing them slowing from their run to come to a stop some distance behind Tetsuya and Yuki. Andréa followed Kirce's shocked gaze, smiling despite the pain as she saw what Kirce was looking at. Dark hair with caramel highlights framed the youthful, female face of the figure, and her light-blue cardigan settled around her as she started walking again, magic flowing around her fingers like running water.

"Leave," Rinoa Heartilly said, her soft voice carrying a hint of steel that was plainly evident to everyone that could hear it.

Kirce knew exactly who Rinoa Heartilly was, and she had never imagined that she would ever come face-to-face with the young woman. As far as anyone knew, she was the last remaining Sorceress on the planet, with former Sorceress Edea's power now transferred into her own as well as the formerly-sealed Sorceress Adel. That information had been kept under extremely close watch ever since the incident with the Lunatic Pandora at Tear's Point, but information was also extremely difficult to keep under perfect guard. What had been certain victory for Kirce had suddenly crumbled to dust with but a word. Talented Alchemist or not, even she knew that she was no match for a Sorceress, especially not one who wielded the kind of power that Rinoa had.

_(End: Fight Tune "Crimson Impact" – Masashi Hamauzu, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus)_

"…This isn't over!" Kirce raged, backing away and keeping her eyes squarely on Rinoa. "Cross me again, and I'll hunt every last one of you down!" Her gait was somewhat staggered as she began to run in the direction that her airship had been forced, but none of the SeeD present moved to give chase – none save Rinoa were in any condition to. The Sorceress didn't waste any time moving to help Yuki as Andréa got back to her feet, making her way back towards the rest of her team as fast as she could manage with her scythe helping to support her weight. Curative magic washed over Yuki as Rinoa knelt down to the younger girl, noticing the _Stop _magic flowing around Tetsuya's body as she did so.

"What happened?" Rinoa asked, looking over at Yuki's brother with a look of concern.

"Lightning spell...punctured his lung," Yuki replied dazedly, the healing magic taking away some of the pain but leaving the immense fatigue. The tiredness was numbing her mind a bit to the entirety of the situation, and she found that she wanted nothing more than to sleep to take away the feeling.

"He needs to get back to Garden, now," Andréa said, once again securing her scythe behind her now that she was confident the immediate danger was past. "Yuki, stay here with Rinoa. I'm going to take him back myself."

"But…there's no way you can get back to Garden in time!" Yuki said, her voice sounding a bit more alert as the older SeeD's words sank in. "We need to do something now!"

"I know. I can get there."

Andréa knelt down onto a knee, lifting Tetsuya's body up so that he was facing her before carefully lifting his body so that it rested across her shoulders. She stood up again and gave a quick nod to Yuki before looking at Rinoa.

"Make sure she stays safe. I'll be back soon."

Without waiting for a reply, Andréa stepped into nothingness, vanishing into thin air before the now wide-eyed Yuki.

* * *

[Location Unknown]

* * *

"You sent me all the way back to that world of yours simply to play monster hunter?" Yuriev asked coolly, his facial expression betraying the restrained irritation that his demeanor and posture refused to show. If Wilhelm was affected by the Planeswalker's emotions, he showed nothing in his face, instead casting a glance upon the large, cylindrical tank set in the middle of the featureless white room. The room went nowhere and everywhere at Wilhelm's insistence; being an Author meant that reality could be your plaything with but a thought and gesture, even if the realm of your current location was not your own domain. Of course, toying with another Author's creation so carelessly could have repercussions, but he had his assurances that he could do such things as long as he did not openly shatter the realm he presently resided in.

"If you must think of it in such lowly terms," Wilhelm replied calmly, placing a hand on the glass. A piercing shriek resounded through the liquid, glass, and metal comprising the tank as a human-sized, squid-like creature thrashed into the glass where Wilhelm's hand was placed. The glass did not move, nor would it break; the Author's control over his creation was absolute. If he willed it, it could not bend nor break. "I prefer to think of it as gathering materials. All experiments must have sound beginnings, after all."

"I don't see what's so special about squid-lips here," he muttered. "It wasn't even hard to catch…couple burns, and it ended up like any other half-dead fish I've ever seen."

Another thrash, this time aimed at Yuriev's position. If one didn't know any better, they would think the creature had taken offense at the comment – that was impossible, of course. It lacked direction and true sentience, instead being driven by instinct and hunger. One large eye stayed focused directly at Yuriev, however, almost as if to defy the very fact of its nature.

"You are a scientist, are you not?" Wilhelm asked, receiving no response. "Your…_abilities…_certainly did not come to you by way of accident, I imagine."

"Appealing to my nature?" Yuriev sneered, barking a quick laugh at Wilhelm as he turned back to the Author. "My, my…how very insightful of you."

"Surely you must know that the greatest of victories often come in the most unassuming of subjects," the white-haired man continued, stepping around the tank to examine the creature from a different angle. Yuriev scoffed.

"You call a giant squid thing 'unassuming'?" he asked amusedly.

"Details, my dear Planeswalker."

"You Authors are strange people to work for," Yuriev commented, folding his arms. "Giving a straight answer to anyone must be too much trouble for you, hm?"

"You, for all your talent, are still _mortal_," Wilhelm countered, returning his attention to the Planeswalker. "You are unable to see the myriad possibilities that beings such as us can view at will. The greater intricacies of the universe are hidden from mortal eyes, no matter how powerful."

"Well, the greater mysteries could be in my grasp quite easily if you'd care to detail them in a more _mortal _manner," Yuriev retorted. "I cannot judge what I cannot see, and if you expect me to perform for you without the appropriate data, then I believe we'll both just be wasting our time."

"Then it is good that your task for me is complete. You may return to your benefactor at your leisure."

"What, no reward for my efforts? No payment for my services?"

"I would think the chance to aid an Author with their tasks reward enough, Planeswalker."

Yuriev scowled, but decided to bite his tongue. He tended to push the limits of respect on occasion with the Overlord, but he had learned how far he could push that as a result of his usefulness. Wilhelm would likely have no such qualms about putting him in his place should he overstep his boundaries.

"As you wish," he finally said, nodding stiffly. Wilhelm stepped back around the tank, gesturing off towards a wall of the room as he moved.

"Please leave me now, Planeswalker. I have business to attend to. Your service shall be remembered."

Yuriev didn't reply – he was, despite the lack of a reward, glad to be leaving the company of the white-haired Author. He turned quickly, stepping forward and disappearing as he moved into the extradimensional space of the Crystal Path. Wilhelm gazed thoughtfully at the tank containing the creature Yuriev had procured for him, again placing a hand on the glass as he watched.

"Magnificent…you were truly one of my finest creations, and soon, you shall be restored to that former glory."

* * *

This chapter kind of ran away from me after I started writing it. Initially, the part at Timber was supposed to be relatively short, but as I kept writing...well, things kept piling in, and I kept changing the ideas that I had until I got to a point where I just kept going with it long after I'd planned to stop. I'm pleased with it, though, so it doesn't bother me. I'm hoping to have the next chapter finished sometime around next weekend or so, as I'm working on fixing a couple problems that have cropped up lately at home. As always, please read and review.


	56. I, IV, VII: Pride Before the Fall

Well, things are...kinda back in order. Not completely, but enough so as to not be catastrophic anymore. I finished up the rest of this chapter more or less today, so I'm hoping to get started on the next chapter tomorrow.

Begin!_  


* * *

_

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter VII—Pride Before the Fall_

_

* * *

_

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Tower of the Ethereal Magi]

* * *

The Ethereal Magi's tower of residence had a special distinction in the Upper Court in that, while it wasn't the most majestic building in the inner area, it was by far the tallest. It had been such ever since it had been erected, standing nine stories tall and proudly overlooking every building in the Upper Court. The Ethereal Magi also made their dwelling much more grandiose and noticeable than that of their counterparts – the tower itself was made of fine stone colored in shades of brilliant white and gleaming yellow that evoked images of the sun's rays shining upon each of the structures beneath it. Beautiful tapestries of vibrant red and blue adorned the tower from bottom to top, with pairs framing either side of every stone window and the large pair of curved doors at the bottom of the tower, carved and framed in the same shape as the doors to the Ethereal Knights' own sanctum.

None of that mattered to Arragious Nicholai, however – all he was concerned with were the pair of magi that he could see patrolling outside the doors. Each mage was dressed in the clothing that was the 'uniform' of sorts of the Ethereal Magi, consisting of a simple white robe, sandals, and a colored sash around the waist that showed the rank of the mage in question. One of the magi bore a sash of bright red, marking them as a Vindicator, a member of the Order who had devoted their magical studies to the ways of force and combat. The other wore one of dark green, denoting their status as a Templar – one who had passed the basic tests to become a full member of the Order, but was not yet skilled enough in a given path to ascend to a higher rank.

Normally, in times of peace, two of Templar rank would be assigned to guard the tower's entrance; it was considered a trial of patience to hold such a duty and was used to impart that lesson upon new initiates in order to aid them with their studies. Vindicators and Judicators – magi who focused in manipulation, knowledge, and control – were rarely placed on such duty except in times of alert or outright war. Arragious nodded thoughtfully as he watched, carefully keeping his distance in his magically-cloaked form.

'_Interesting,' _he thought to himself, gazing out towards the tower. _'By placing only one of higher rank to stand guard, Freya acknowledges that something is amiss without creating undue tension that the placement of two of such members would assuredly bring.' _The Creator's actions had always been about balance, he knew, even when strong action was preferred and, often, required. It made her a capable leader in times of peace, as she listened to all sides equally and attempted compromise, but hindered her in times of war, when a decisive show of force and action was necessary.

Unfortunately, for Arragious, stealth was almost completely out of the question when it came to handling his second target. There were more people out and around in the tower before him, which would make most of his movement detectable in some form, cloaked by magical means or not. The tower was also far too high for him to climb from the outside, even ignoring the obvious issues he would have defending himself during such an attempt and the attention it would bring. Even from his current location, he was wary that he would be detected before he decided to move. The solution he had decided to go with was both risky and, at the same time, the best option he saw – instead of relying on stealth, to rely on speed. If he could get inside, disable anyone in his way, and make it to the top to take care of his target as quickly as possible, then he could possibly make it out without being caught by someone like Lord Odin or Lord Xeios. Once he got back outside, he knew that he would have no problems escaping, but there were wards in place within the tower to prevent magical entry and escape such as teleportation. Fortunately for him, this also gave him a bit of breathing room with the knowledge that Xeios himself could not simply warp to the location; he would be stuck moving normally once he reached a certain distance.

'_Hesitation breeds doubt,' _he mused, standing straight again as he prepared to move. _'Freya has yet to truly learn that lesson – one must be unafraid to move, confident that their actions are the best to take.'_

Arragious took one last long look at the doors and the pair guarding it before beginning to run towards the tower, dropping his magical enchantment as he did so and bringing his body into full view of the two guards in front of the doors. There was a momentary pause from one of the guards before he seemed to recognize the figure charging him, quickly followed by a yell of surprise as the duo of _Erudite _began channeling defensive magic. Arragious swiftly cut them off as his hands flew from under his cloak, releasing his pair of mesmeric blades upon the guards with a quick mental command. Surprised by the action, the sole Templar was too late in creating a shield and fell to the dirt, his legs sliced by one of the blades, rendering them incapable of supporting his weight. The remaining _Erudite _found himself assaulted by the remaining mesmeric blade as well as by Arragious as the former Captain-Commander closed into melee range, and had just enough time to create a barrier to deflect the magical weapon before Arragious was upon him. A fist lashed out quickly, and the standing guard joined his comrade on the ground, stunned by the sheer power of the blow even as Arragious pressed his attack. The guard who Arragious had first downed started to cast another spell, recovering enough from the pain and surprise to attempt to stop Arragious, but was cut off once more by the hilts of Arragious' blades slamming into one side of his head and his forehead. The near-simultaneous impacts laid him out flat from the force even as Arragious dealt with the Vindicator who was left, pummeling him rapidly around the face and upper body until he could defend himself no more, having slipped into unconsciousness.

The entire fight, if it could be called such, was swift, surprising, and brutal – exactly the way Arragious liked to fight, and exactly the way he hoped the rest of his ascent would go. As much as his lust for revenge on the ones who had wronged him burned within him, however, he held no real desire to kill those who had no part – non-lethal combat would work fine unless there was no other alternative. His reputation would aid him as much as any weapon here; even those who had been young during the days of war knew of his former station as Captain-Commander and his nearly-unrivaled skills in combat, and it would weigh his enemies' feet down with fear, giving him the edge he needed.

Returning his blades to their places beneath his cloak, he gently pushed open one of the curved doors leading inside, taking his first steps towards the next part of his journey.

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 9:13 PM]

* * *

The familiar surroundings of my dormitory room shimmer back into view of my eyes as I step off the Crystal Path, glad to be back at last after spending the evening at the mercy of Odine's brand of science. The presence of Dr. Mizrahi seemed to temper him ever so slightly, but it didn't make him any less unnerving – no one who wears an outfit like that in a professional institute can be completely sane by any stretch of the imagination. Combine that with the fact that I couldn't actually keep any weapons on me while I was inside, and I was significantly less than happy during my time in Esthar. Being stalked by Ethereal beings has given me a healthy sense of paranoia ever since I showed up here in Gaia, and though I've heard that things have settled down in the Ethereal Plane, I'm not going to stay relaxed just yet. I am, after all, still a member of SeeD, and danger is less a possibility and more a certainty in this line of work.

It's becoming noticeable now how…_comfortable _I am with my abilities as a Planeswalker, too. When I first realized I had the ability to Planeswalk, I didn't understand just what it was, and that made me hesitant and almost afraid to use it. Ever since Lady Freya explained to me what I was and what it entailed, however, I've grown more and more comfortable with the idea and the benefits that it brings. Planeswalking just seems to be the most convenient method of travel I've ever come across, and I love it – I've a bad habit of trying to do things as quickly as possible most of the time, and being able to near-instantly be halfway across the world if I wish is the epitome of valuable to me. There are a number of other quirks that I've started to notice that interest me as well, things that I'm not sure come completely from being a Planeswalker but that I'm thankful for anyway. If I concentrate, I can 'feel' people in a magical sense. It's hard for me to explain, even to myself…sort of like a sixth sense that just works, even if you don't know how or why. It seems like everyone's energy has its own unique feel, and once I learn what 'feel' goes with which person, I can focus on that and pick that person out from a distance even if they're out of immediate sight. I can't make it work at astonishing distances yet, but it's good enough right now for me to pick out people that I know who are maybe a couple hundred yards around me in any given direction. The problem I have is that I can't make it work on _everyone _yet – I have to actually focus and sort of figure out the feel of someone's energy, almost as if I'm memorizing it, before I can really use the sense to find them.

Something else that I've noticed came only recently, during times when I had my Guardian Force unjunctioned. It almost seems as if my body is stronger, _magically _stronger, even without a GF bolstering my physical strength and endurance. Not to an extent beyond maybe a small change in actual strength, mind you, but…tougher, more resilient, as if just being a Planeswalker makes me a little more effective at shrugging off sickness, fatigue, and those kinds of infirmities. It seems that when I talked to Lady Freya about what being a Planeswalker meant, I didn't think to ask about the fine print. I've been thinking about what else I might be able to do for a little while now, but I don't really have any way to know short of either asking another Planeswalker, like Andréa, or talking with Lady Freya herself again. I would hate to bother Lady Freya for something so trivial as this, though, so my mind is leaning more towards talking with Andréa at some point in the future.

I still feel that even though I already know far more than I did when I first came here, I'm still missing several very important details that I should've found out by now. All I can do, it seems, is hope that talking to someone can fill in the rest of the gaps…and unfortunately, Lady Luck and I have never seemingly been on the best of terms.

* * *

Arragious' feet stomped loudly against the floor as he moved across the eighth floor, leaving behind the fallen forms of another trio of magi that had tried to intercept him on his ascent. He hadn't killed any of them, he knew, but one had been rather…persistent, and so he had been forced to inflict more serious injury than necessary. So far, he'd only been attacked by Vindicators and Judicators – all the Templar must have stayed away from the combat, albeit with good reason. One of Templar rank was typically still new to their station, and while possessing formidable power befitting of an _Erudite_, they were not skilled enough to stand against someone of Arragious' caliber.

'_All the better,' _he thought as he ascended the stairs leading up to the ninth and final floor. _'It allows the rest to fight at their full capacity without worrying about those unfit to be in such a battle.'_

The ninth floor was significantly different from the rest of the tower in terms of architectural layout. The other floors held numerous rooms in a circular fashion set towards both the outer and inner parts of the tower. The ninth floor differed, however, as it was specially-designed with a single large room in the very center, accompanied by many other rooms that ringed it on the outside set towards the outer wall of the structure giving it an appearance at the top that resembled many small squares jutting outward from the main portion of the tower. It was designed for a variety of purposes – solitude for those of the highest rank who held the most important duties, the undisturbed preparation and execution of arcane rituals, and magical training for higher-ranking officials being only a few. The room also held four doors that led inside, one in each cardinal direction, mostly for ease of access and convenience. The stairs that Arragious had taken stopped nearby one such door, being the only staircase that led up to the ninth floor; the lower floors each had several such staircases between floors, as they each saw much more traffic than the ninth floor typically did.

Energy pulsed near him, and he moved towards the door, close enough now to confirm that the power he was feeling belonged to the one he was seeking. His hand reached out and easily opened the smooth, wooden door, pushing it aside and allowing him entry into the massive, circular chamber. A sole figure sat in the room, easily visible among the torches resting on stands around the room and the symbols and runes etched into the walls from floor to ceiling as they knelt directly in the center of a large glyph that was painted onto the center of the room's floor, seemingly in the midst of meditation. For a moment, the figure didn't look up as Arragious entered, but their head rose slowly as Arragious' footfalls began to cross the room to stare at the walking _Erudite. _The kneeling figure was female, dressed in the same robes that the other members of the Ethereal Magi also wore, with long red hair tied back into a ponytail behind her and bright green eyes that seemed to pierce Arragious as he watched. As she slowly stood, Arragious caught a glimpse of a bright orange-colored sash around her waist, the mark of her status as a Praetor, confirming that she was the person he sought.

"So, it seems you've come," the woman said, her voice strong and even as she watched Arragious. "I knew you would, considering…"

Arragious kept his expression neutral, though he thought he caught something in her voice as she trailed off. Hirota had seemed surprised to see him again after all these years, but this woman seemed…to expect it, almost as if welcoming it.

"Arisa Minami," Arragious stated, the woman nodding as he spoke her name. "You sound as if you were expecting me."

"In a sense, I suppose I was," Arisa replied. "Ever since that day, six hundred years ago…" She laughed suddenly, the sound sharp and surprising in the chamber. "Exile…we really believed that could keep you away, that you would just go along with it quietly. Fools, every last one of us."

Arragious frowned – he had expected surprise, resentment, rage…but not this.

"I suppose you're here to kill me?" she asked, seeming remarkably calm even despite the statement. "I can't say I blame you – I would feel the same, truthfully."

"You sound as if you feel sorry for what you did," Arragious said, the frown deepening the more she talked. None of those who had delivered his sentence sounded particularly remorseful as he was cast out – was she truly feeling regret for what she had done, or was this all part of some kind of trick?

"Should I not?" she said, a bit more forcefully. "Should I not feel ashamed that I had a part in banishing someone who did so much for this plane, who served faithfully for over a millennium, who fought to keep order and peace even when all those under his command were in outrage?"

"You had a choice," the former Captain-Commander said, his voice icy. "You could have spoken out, but you did nothing. You _condemned_ me, just like all the rest."

"I did what I thought was _right!_" she yelled, turning her gaze back down towards the floor. "But now I know that it wasn't right at all. I can say that I did it for the plane as much as I wish, but that's no comfort to me when I know that I truly did it for my own selfish reasons." Her eyes hardened as she calmed down, seeming to bore into Arragious but at the same time searching for…something.

"If you're going to kill me, then go ahead," she said quietly. "I cannot change the past, but perhaps I can find peace in Soul Society knowing that I atoned for my mistakes."

There was a moment of hesitation from Arragious – the Praetor before him was clearly sorry for what she had done, that much was clear to him. He was remarkably adept at reading people, and he could tell that she was being honest. Still…six hundred years of hatred and resent did not vanish easily, and that warred with the part of Arragious that seemed to want to spare Minami after what she'd said.

Seconds passed, and Arragious strode forward, his cloak billowing out around him as one of his blades entered his hand.

"I wish you had chosen differently," he said quietly, holding the _Erudite's _shoulder as he removed his mesmeric blade from where it had pierced her heart. "Go now, and rest."

Her legs weakened, threatening to send her to the ground, but Arragious did not let her fall. Gently, he took hold of her and lowered her to the floor, letting her rest on her back as she took her last few breaths of life. The crime was too great, his mind told him, but…he could find it in himself to show respect for her resolve and remorse. The deed was done, and her sins had been laid to rest.

Arragious stood again, his mind coming back to him in a flash as he realized that he needed to leave, immediately – there was no sense in winding up in combat with Xeios by tarrying too long in his place. He spun, moving easily and quickly towards the door he had entered with the intent of going back down to a lower floor and using the numerous staircases and hallways to confuse pursuers, but stopped short as the door was suddenly thrown open from outside.

"Praeto –"

The form of a white-clad woman stood in the doorway, her voice cut off as she realized that Arragious was directly in front of her and that she had been too late to stop him. Arragious began to raise his blade, thinking the woman simply another member of the Magi that needed to be incapacitated…before he stopped, looking more closely. Indeed, she was not quite dressed the same as the members of the Magi – she wore white, but it was a sleeveless white dress that came down to her ankles, white sandals, and a white sword sheath belted at the waist, not the white robes and colored sash of an Ethereal Mage. He took in the long dark hair, the look of the woman's face, and her eyes…and lowered his blade again, realizing that he knew the person he was now looking at.

"Captain Inihara. I must say, I'm surprised to see you still alive after all this time."

The dark-haired woman standing before Arragious simply nodded, keeping her expression level as she watched Arragious. She spared a glance behind him, noticing the fallen form of an _Erudite_ on the floor of the room – Praetor Minami, she realized in a moment of horror. Arragious had assuredly done this; the blood slowly dripping from the tip of his mesmeric blade was proof enough.

"Captain-Comman…_Arragious_," she began, forcing herself to discard the formal address she'd given him for so long before his exile. "What is the meaning of this? Why have you attacked Praetor Minami?" Even before the words left her mouth, she already knew the answer she was going to receive. She had tried to deny to herself that Arragious was the one behind the death of Master Hirota, but the sight in front of her took all that denial and shattered it like so much glass, leaving nothing but unflinching truth in its wake.

"Your beloved Praetor has merely received…reciprocation. Repayment in kind for the injustice dealt me centuries ago," Arragious responded, a hint of bitter hatred creeping into his voice as he glanced back at the fallen _Erudite_. "Do not force me to enact the same repayment upon you, _Kari_," he continued, mirroring her prior first-name use.

The white-clad _Malakh _hesitated briefly at his words; the difference between their powers was clear and had been so ever since the time of the Gilead Order. Even disregarding the innately-greater stores of spiritual energy that _Erudite _held over _Malakh_, Arragious Nicholai had been the leader of the elite order, and he held considerably more power and prowess than even the strongest warriors in the order had. She had once been the Captain of the Order of Grim Angels' Fifth Division, but that was still no reason to believe that she was on Arragious' level of prowess. It was only natural that if she had continued to train and grow over time, he had surely done the same himself, exile or no.

Still, the crime he had committed was far too dire to allow him to escape, even if it were to cost her life in the process.

"I did not force you to kill Praetor Minami – you did that of your own accord," she remarked. "Nor will I force you to raise your blade against me. I will give you the chance to come quietly and face the Creator's judgment –"

"_Judgment?_" he spat, the hatred becoming clear as his sudden glare sharpened his features. "The same judgment which was enacted by fools who were too short-sighted and naive to bother trying to understand that which they clearly could not comprehend? I think not. I shall simply take my chances with rebellion."

"Don't do this," she pleaded, keeping one hand close to the white hilt of the blade at her side.

"If you will not allow me to leave, then my only recourse is to force you to allow my exit," Arragious replied, a hand brushing aside his cloak as he stood poised for combat. "Defend yourself, or step aside – I have no time for idle games."

_(Play: Saber's Edge (Kari's Battle Theme) – Masashi Hamauzu, Final Fantasy XIII)_

The invisible blade swung sharply towards Kari's body in the next second, only to be expertly blocked by a hastily-drawn blade of her own as it reached its full extension. To her heightened magical senses, the blade was no different from any other metal blade save for the powerful magical energy that suffused it. She quietly gave thanks to the Creator for that small blessing; defending against his attacks would be difficult enough even with the ability to see his weapons. Instead of retaliating with the blade in her hand, her form blurred and vanished, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, before reappearing on the other side of the room. _Malakh _called the technique _Shunpo, _or 'flash steps' – the precursor and equivalent to the _Sonido _possessed by Nether Plane beings.

"Running away?" Arragious questioned, watching his opponent intently. "You'll merely prolong the inevitable."

A dim blue glow resembling fog began to swirl around Arragious before sloughing off and reforming away from him, resuming coherence again as a humanoid figure with sharpened talons and chains dangling from its wrists and ankles that stood in front of him soundlessly. Kari paused for a moment, unsure of what to expect from the ethereal creature, but found herself forced to move again as a sudden burst of fire erupted from beside her. Arragious did not have extensive knowledge of the _Malakh's _movement technique, but he had proven himself fast enough to mitigate the advantage it provided in the past. The quick flame spell served as enough of a distraction to allow the spirit to move, the translucent limbs propelling it deceptively quickly across the floor as it sped towards the former Grim Angel Captain. Hazy talons struck out at flesh, only to be met with the cold steel of Kari's blade, falling neatly severed at the joints in wounds that leaked magical energy instead of blood. Ritualist spirits, though appearing hazy and intangible, were actually made of condensed mana, solid enough to hold a form but also to inflict and receive damage. Over time, the energy would also leak away, eventually preventing the spirit from holding a pseudo-physical form any longer.

'_I don't have to beat him…just delay him,' _Kari thought to herself, slicing out again at the spirit and forcing it back. A third slice cut into the spirit immediately following the second, neatly bisecting it at the waist and forcibly dispersing the magical energy infused into it, and she turned again towards Arragious…

…only to find him smiling.

A sudden spike of magical energy caused her senses to flare, and she quickly vanished again as a set of massive claws tore through the space she had just been occupying. The sight that met her eyes as she reappeared caused her to gasp in shock as Arragious continued to smile, paying no heed to the new spirit, which had formed from the remnants of the last. The new spirit was comparatively massive and far more bestial, with claws that were easily a half-foot long extending from large, four-fingered hands at the ends of thickly-muscled arms. It stood easily three feet taller than the white-clad woman, its hulking form rendered even more soulless in appearance by brightly-glowing blue eyes that stood out even among its dim blue form, and she could clearly make out the energy of several offensive and defensive enhancement spells that enchanted the new spirit. The last vestiges of magical energy faded from Arragious' hands as she entered a defensive posture, calling up energy for one of the special spells invented and practiced by _Malakh_.

"Binding Art number thirty: Beak-Piercing Triple Beam!"

Her sword quickly moved in a triangular formation, a trail of golden light following it until the shape had been completed. Motes of light briefly shone on each point of the triangle before lancing out towards the spirit as curved spears of energy, attempting to pin it to one wall of the room. The spirit, with its bare flickers of sentience, could not understand the purpose behind the attack and so charged it instead, only to have Arragious move between it and the approaching spell before striking out with his blade, violently dispelling the binding magic in a burst of power. The translucent summon was undeterred, leaping cleanly over Arragious before closing the distance between itself and Kari with _Haste_-enhanced speed and lashing out with a powerful clawed hand. The strike met the metal of her blade for an instant before it threw her backwards with incredible force, sending her crashing into and then through first the outer wall behind her, then the outer wall of the tower itself to fly out into the open air of the plane beyond. The ground rushed up altogether too fast for the Captain, and she gasped in pain as she slammed into the earth outside the tower, her back protesting loudly against the impact. The falling form of Arragious' spirit caught her eye as she stood back up, followed closely by Arragious himself in a more controlled float towards the ground below as the spirit's feet touched down before her.

'_I don't have a choice…' _she mused, watching the spirit and Arragious both as best she could as she gingerly got back to her feet. The fall hadn't hurt her severely, as Ethereal beings like herself were much more resilient than any mortal – a fall that would kill an ordinary human would typically do little more than stun a sufficiently-powerful _Malakh_ and do even less to an _Erudite_. Arragious himself was more than a match for her as it stood, however, and the spirit that he had summoned with his Ritualist arts was already proving to be a powerful foe as well. If they both decided to attack her at once, she wouldn't stand a chance. She brought her sword in front of her, placing her left hand near the bottom of the hilt just as Arragious touched down, and focused her power.

"Swirl, Kazewana."

Arragious watched bemusedly as white light swirled around the blade, shifting and flowing, as the blade seemed to melt in Kari's hands. Her left hand slowly moved out towards her side, the light moving with it as the energy comprising the blade began to reform, finally leaving behind a sharp foot-long spike in her left hand and a sickle-like weapon in her right hand, both connected by a long white chain that hung between them. Much like _Arrancar_, the _Malakh _could release the true power of their weapons – termed Diviners – with the proper command; however, unlike their demonic kin, a _Malakh's _Diviner possessed more than the single level of power displayed during an _Arrancar's __Resurrección_.

"You've finally decided to fight, it seems," Arragious commented, nodding approvingly. Kari's response was not verbal, but physical; the sickle of her chained weapon suddenly sliced down, releasing a blade of Wind-elemental energy that tore a deep gash in the spirit's ethereal arm, nearly severing it just below the shoulder. The spirit let out a high-pitched wail as it flew towards the _Malakh_, with Arragious following behind in short order from an angle diagonal to the spirit's own approach. A burst of energy suddenly flew from the spirit's outstretched claws, prompting Kari to raise her weapon in front of her as she gathered energy for another spell.

"Binding Art number seventy-three: Inverse Mountain Crystal!"

Energy suddenly materialized around Kari in a solidified form, flowing upwards into an inverted pyramid of translucent force that deflected the spirit's energy blast upward into the air harmlessly. A second after that, Arragious' mesmeric blade smashed into the newly-formed barrier in a crushing blow that sent cracks spider-webbing upward through the face of the structure.

'_Only time for one more…'_

"Binding Art number sixty-one: Six Rods Prison of Light!" she shouted, gesturing towards the spirit and causing six rectangular beams of energy to materialize in a circular pattern around Arragious' summon. The beams of light rapidly moved towards the spirit, slamming into its midsection and stopping its motion solidly in place as it roared impotently, followed an instant later by the former Captain-Commander's blade smashing through the protective Binding Art, sending shards of magical energy crashing around the two Ethereal entities like falling pieces of glass. The second blade emerged from his robes as he lunged, seemingly controlled only by Arragious' mind and by no physical force, and the spike of Kazewana reached out to slap it aside as Kari spun, the sickle's bladed edge meeting Arragious' remaining invisible blade as both of them fought to gain the upper hand.

"I had forgotten how effective those arts of yours could be," Arragious admitted, gritting his teeth.

"More useful…than most gave them credit," Kari replied, struggling to hold back Arragious' blade with one hand while trying to keep an eye on his other blade at the same time. Her magical strength was her true asset, despite her skill at both swordsmanship and the use of her weapon's unusual released form, and being in melee combat would not allow her the time needed to use the _Malakhs' _unique magical arts. Wind swirled around the sickle's edge again, and Arragious leapt back just as another razor-sharp blade of air flew from Kari's weapon, freeing her from Arragious' blade lock. Arragious' feet touched down on solid earth again as the sound of Kari's _Shunpo _flashed through the air, followed closely by a screech from the spirit as the sickle sliced through its neck and dispersed the energy for good in a briefly-blinding flash and small explosion of force.

A searing pain suddenly tore through her skull, nearly doubling her over as she cried out in agony. Only years of well-honed reflexes and instinct kept her from being killed as Arragious lunged in again, the long spike on one end of her weapon diverting a fatal strike aimed at her neck into a painful strike that tore across her shoulder and part of her chest. Quickly, she flashed away once more, putting some distance between herself and her opponent as she clutched at the wound. She had forgotten over the years that Arragious also possessed a variety of spells designed to attack the mind.

"Unfortunately, most of those same arts are nearly useless at short range," he continued in a tone of smug superiority, his floating second blade drifting easily into his left hand. "And unless that _Shikai _of yours can do more than cause the wind to blow, it won't be of any use to you against me either."

Blood streamed down the front of her white dress as she cast a curative spell on the wound to at least temporarily stop the bleeding, keeping a firm grip upon the weapons in her hands. Energy blossomed around her as she concentrated on another spell, and the air overhead began to swirl violently before a tornado suddenly spun into existence, unleashing its fury on Arragious as it pelted him with bits of earth and crushing winds. Quickly, the _Erudite _began conjuring up another spirit, causing another humanoid figure of energy to appear in front of him as well as forming a shell of energy around him as the spirit's protective nature took hold. The tornado sucked Arragious and the spirit in moments later, battering them with fiercely cutting wind, but the shield around Arragious held strong until the tornado dissipated and dropped him back down to the earth unceremoniously, leaving no trace of the summoned spirit as the magical barrier faded.

A thunderous blast suddenly erupted where Arragious was standing as a bolt of lightning descended upon him from above, the _Thundaga _magic striking with enough force to resemble a bomb detonated at the _Erudite's _feet. Kari took a moment to regain her breath; up until now, she had been fighting defensively in an attempt to slow Arragious, but it was clear that she wouldn't have that luxury for much longer. Striking offensively was her only hope, and she needed to take the opportunity while it was still present.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss –"

The dark-haired _Malakh's _incantation was suddenly cut off as one of Arragious' blades flew in again, once more controlled by force of will alone, and the sickle in her right hand immediately shot up to block the weapon and knock it away. She realized the folly of that move too late, as Arragious reappeared from the haze on her right side and lashed out lightning-fast with his other blade, cutting into her body again and leaving another long wound from her right hip up towards her left shoulder. The blade came down again, barely deflected by a quick parry from the spike in her left hand, and she drove the spike forward in a stabbing thrust that missed Arragious' chest easily before she leapt back, twirling the sickle by the chain rapidly for a moment before releasing it towards Arragious. Not expecting the thrown weapon, Arragious' deflection wasn't as accurate as he would have liked, and the sickle instead tore into his right forearm, leaving a deep wound that immediately started bleeding heavily. A large blast of fire followed up the weapon's attack, slamming into Arragious and pushing him back from the force as well as inflicting painful burns across some of the skin on his face and chest.

"Destructive Art number thirty-three: Blue Fire, Crash Down!"

Kari's voice echoed across the area as she released a cylindrical wave of blue spiritual power, watching as it burst forth towards Arragious as a follow-up to her barrage of attacks. The attack impacted with a powerful roar as she watched the energy begin to eat away at her enemy, but the destructive spell's energy burst apart after a few seconds, followed almost immediately by a small white burst of energy that flew from the area like a rocket towards Kari. Both parts of her blade immediately rose to block it, causing the energy to explode blindingly, leaving spots dancing in her vision as she quickly tried to recover from the disorienting attack. Another searing pain tore across her abdomen, and she stumbled as Arragious moved behind her, his mesmeric blade falling to his side.

"A valiant effort, to be sure, but you should know by now that you can't stop me."

'_Please…hurry, Executor,' _she thought to herself, falling to one knee and letting go of the spiked part of her weapon to clutch the new wound. Behind her, she heard footsteps moving away from her as Arragious presumably made to leave, thinking his opponent defeated, and she forced herself to ignore the pain – she couldn't let him get away after murdering a Praetor in cold blood, no matter what she had to do. Her leg shakily moved back under her as she stood up and turned around, watching Arragious' retreat carefully as she prepared to release her Diviner's second and final level of power. Spiritual energy gathered around her, pressing down on the area surrounding her body as the power emitting from her spiked.

"…Bankai."

The overwhelming energy around her manifested as a sudden surge of violent winds that swirled around her as the energy shifted the form of the weapon in her hands. The spike that her left hand held began to stretch and warp just as the sickle in her right hand did, both pieces of the chained weapon growing longer, wider, and more symmetric in their design. The thrashing winds vanished as suddenly as they had started, leaving Kari holding a pair of identical weapons. They appeared to be large rings, each with three blades extending from the ring at different angles – one at the 'top' or 'front' of the ring, and two each on either side that pointed back and away, the position of each equidistant from the next around the ring. The physical chain that bound the two weapons had been replaced by a shimmering chain of pure energy, and she grasped the chain tightly just as if it were solid before beginning to spin one end of the weapon over her head like a lasso.

Arragious had paused briefly at the sudden surge of energy from behind him, but he paid it no mind, thinking that he could escape easily before the wounded Captain could catch him. Whether or not she had used her _Bankai _was irrelevant to him, as she was still no match for him even at that level of power.

A quick shift of the wind behind him caused him to turn, however, and he ducked immediately after as a spinning buzz saw laced with energy flashed over his head at the end of a long energy chain. His eyes caught sight of Kari holding the other end of the weapon as the chain retracted, flying back to her only to be caught easily in her right hand; it seemed the weapon was incapable of hurting her, no matter if she touched the blades or not. He frowned, realizing that while he had known her capable of the feat, he had never seen this form of her Diviner firsthand. Now, it seemed, he was about to get a look that was altogether too close for his liking.

"You are as stubborn as your own Captain was," Arragious commented, watching with a pleased expression as his foe clearly fought to control her emotions at the mention.

"It would seem so," she said, her head lowering slightly. The energy release hadn't healed her wounds, but it had effectively cauterized them, she noticed – it would have to do for now.

A torrent of swirling wind suddenly burst forth from her weapon as she sliced out in Arragious' direction, creating a funnel-shaped eruption that forced Arragious to move even as his eyes widened. Her Diviner was aligned with Wind-elemental energies, he knew, but that was no creation of her Diviner – it was another of her Destructive Arts, something that surprised him a great deal. The _Malakhs' _magical arts each consisted of two parts – an incantation to channel and direct the power, and the name of the art itself, used to release that energy. Normally, one was required to speak the incantation and then the name aloud in order to get the full effect, but particularly skilled practitioners could bypass the incantation, saying only the name in order to release the spell at a lesser degree of power determined by the skill of the user. What she had done went beyond that – she had bypassed the _entire _chant, not just a part, and still cast the spell, which should have been impossible by all standards of his awareness.

He looked back in her direction as he finished evading the onrushing gale…and then smiled, noticing her lips moving again as she spoke in whispered tones. She hadn't bypassed the entire chant of her previous spell at all – she had merely made him mistake her body language in order to whisper the spell's name under her breath without him noticing.

'_Clever,' _he thought to himself, diving in for another attack. If her _Bankai's _strength was the reach that it possessed, staying in close would simply negate that advantage. Of course, he would have to be careful of the wind blades that it could create, but that, to him, was a minor issue. A large red burst of energy from the former Captain found itself carved neatly in twain by Arragious' mesmeric blade as he drove in, slicing vertically as his foe recovered from the _Destructive Art_. His strike found itself parried by the chain of energy connecting the two pieces of Kari's weapon as she gripped the ends, and _Shunpo _carried her away in the next second as Arragious brought his blade back to a guarded position. The spinning blade flew in again, this time from a vertical angle, and he somersaulted backwards as the strange weapon embedded itself into the ground where he was standing. A quick glance up confirmed that Kari was still in the air, and he watched as she yanked the chain attached to the blade back towards her, snapping it back upwards even as she threw the other blade down with incredible force. The whirling weapon sliced through the air on its path towards Arragious, but he simply smiled faintly as he called up his mental abilities once again, seeing opportunity sooner than he had expected.

Kari's mind suddenly exploded with pain once again as a psychic pulse from Arragious drilled into her brain, shattering her concentration and causing her to drop one part of her weapon as she clutched at her head, still falling towards the _Erudite. _Dimly, she tried to flash step away to give herself time to recover, only to have her momentum arrested violently as a stabbing pain tore through her upper body.

"You should have given up," Arragious said calmly, holding on to the hilt of the mesmeric blade now impaled through the midsection of the _Malakh _in front of him. The dark-haired woman coughed, blood splattering against the ground as Arragious tore the blade free, before screaming in agony as Arragious propelled her away on the end of an incandescent ball of magical fire. She hit the ground some distance away and lay still, her weapon discarded as Arragious stalked towards her, readying himself for a finishing blow.

_(End: Saber's Edge (Kari's Battle Theme) – Masashi Hamauzu, Final Fantasy XIII)_

"Now, there will be _no more heroics._"

A blur at the edge of his vision gave him pause, and he stopped in his tracks as he heard the tell-tale sound of _Shunpo _being used...then noticed that Kari's body was no longer on the ground in front of him. Rather, she was being held by another figure clad in black clothing along with a white, ankle-length overcoat, a wide diamond shape on the upper part of the back enclosing a symbol with two horizontal lines, one above the other. One arm and hand supported Kari's body, holding her carefully so as not to hurt her further, while in the other hand…

…an apple rested, with a single bite gone from the fruit.

Etchel Beoulve smiled as he looked over the face of the former Gilead Order's Captain-Commander, carefully placing Kari's body down on the ground before stepping in front of her to face the _Erudite _himself.

"You were saying?"

* * *

Etchel's up to his usual tricks - really, no one should be surprised of that fact. He rather enjoys making an entrance, no matter the situation.

The ranks for the Ethereal Magi, and the color of the sashes that each rank wears, go as follows: Black - Apprentice, Green - Templar, Red - Vindicator (equal with Judicator), Blue - Judicator (equal with Vindicator), Purple - Prelate, Orange - Praetor, Gold - Executor (only one).

I had quite a bit of fun writing most of this chapter; the most difficulty came during the part with Arisa and Arragious, as it was hard to figure out which side of Arragious would eventually take over and win the mental debate he was going through after Arisa's confession. I wrote parts several times, only to go back and change them before I finally decided on what you see here, and for the most part I'm satisfied. There are a lot of _Bleach _influences here, as well, especially with the Order of Grim Angels, which we'll be seeing more of in Book II. As always, please read and review.


	57. I, IV, VIII: The Ties That Bind

Well. I wound up starting this chapter when I wanted, but work then decided that it wanted to tire me out practically every day for around two weeks, which really dampened my desire to do anything at all. Fortunately, it finally let up enough where I could get the rest of this chapter finished.

Begin!

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_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
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_Chapter VIII—The Ties That Bind_

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"Etchel Beoulve," Arragious muttered with a frown, casting his gaze over the _Malakh _in front of him, who was currently engaged in eating the fruit in his hand. "Infuriating as usual, it would seem."

"I'm told I have that effect on people," Etchel remarked, shrugging lightly. "Course, I don't believe it, myself. It's all hearsay meant to ruin my good name, you know."

Etchel had been a particular point of irritation back during the times when Arragious still commanded the Gilead Order. While he wasn't nearly as reckless as some other Captains he had seen, or even some members in his own Order, he had the particularly grating tendency to do things which seemed to serve no purpose but to rattle the nerves of others. Even now, he was up to his old tricks – Arragious couldn't remember when he'd adopted the habit of eating apples during anything remotely resembling a serious occasion, but it was apparent that he'd never _dropped _said habit during the years Arragious had been exiled.

"Of course," Arragious said blandly, keeping his eyes trained on Etchel. "I presume you're here to try and stop me, as well?"

"Heavens, no," Etchel said, the smile on his face suddenly growing in intensity. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood, you see, and came across this awful racket that you happened to be making so close to the Palace of Creation. Imagine my surprise when I see you beating up on an old drinking buddy of mine – as you might guess, I couldn't help but get myself into trouble by seeing just what was going on. You understand, of course."

"Interfering, and then claiming that you mean not to stop me?" Arragious queried, skeptical. "You'll forgive me if I don't exactly accept that at face value."

"But it's true," the Grim Angel stated, taking another bite of the sweet fruit in his hand. "I might've even done more than I should've by saving her, since I'm technically working for Kuchiki now and all that – the whole 'non-interference' bit really gets in the way of my leisure time sometimes, you know?"

Arragious searched Etchel's face for any signs that the _Malakh_ was deceiving him, but found none – whether he was merely good at hiding it or, outer planes forbid, being _honest_, Arragious couldn't tell. Finally, he decided to simply take the good fortune that seemed to have been dropped into his lap and run with it. Breaking off into a swift run away from the complex of the Ethereal Magi, Arragious left Etchel and Kari behind quickly as he retreated from the area, invisibility magic flowing up around him even as he began to mask his power to muddle the searches of the Ethereal Plane's denizens. He was somewhat relieved to see that Etchel did not follow; the Captain had instead decided to make sure that his fellow _Malakh _would survive instead of pursuing the former Captain-Commander.

On the other hand, however, he was surprised to see Etchel in the Ethereal Plane at all, not to mention wearing the outfit typical of a Grim Angel Captain. The Order, he knew, had been reinstated within Soul Society some time after the war that exiled him from the Ethereal Plane, but he had not expected Etchel to resume his duties as a Captain under the Lord Sovereign. He had seemed far too content with his life of solitude following the dissolution of the order, seemingly satisfied to leave the Ethereal Plane and reside on the mortal plane after the dust settled. Apparently, things had changed for Etchel since that time.

'_A foolish decision, on both counts,' _Arragious mused, finally feeling the familiar wisps of teleportation energy that he'd been attempting to access engulf him – another gift from his new benefactor. He'd finally made it far enough away from the disrupting field that encompassed the area in order to use it and leave the plane, and he wasted no time in doing so, his body fading away into nothingness as he vanished from the Upper Court's surroundings.

_(Play: Never Forget – Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori; Halo 3)_

Kari's eyes slowly fluttered back open, giving her a clear view of the sky above for a brief moment before a shadow fell over her. For an instant, her heart rate jumped, her mind believing the shadow that of Arragious coming to finish her off before she realized that she could no longer feel Arragious' distinctive energy anywhere nearby.

"Need a hand?" Etchel asked, looking down at the female Malakh with a faint smile. At first, she almost didn't believe her eyes, but she knew that there was no other person she could be seeing.

"Etchel…" she murmured, still shaking away the webs of unconsciousness strewn over her mind. "…You came…?"

"Happened to be passing through, really," he said, kneeling down and helping her get back to a sitting position. "He did a number on you, huh?"

"P-Praetor Minami," she said, her voice catching a bit in her throat. "He…killed Praetor Minami…"

"I know. Nothing I could do, to be honest."

"Did he escape?"

Etchel nodded in affirmation, before shrugging. "I…might've let him go, really. Depends on how you look at it."

"You…let him go?" Kari asked, the impact of the statement causing her to sit up a bit straighter, her pain and fatigue momentarily forgotten. "Why?"

"Look at it this way," he started, glancing back for a moment in the direction Arragious had left. "First, you were already injured when I arrived – if I had fought, you might've been even more injured, and there was no guarantee I'd have been able to stop him myself. Call it cutting losses, in a sense." Kari held up a hand weakly to protest, but Etchel continued speaking before she could voice any objections. "Secondly, you've realized what Arragious is up to, right?"

"I…wasn't sure before now, but…yes," she said, caught off guard by Etchel's change to a matter-of-fact way of speaking.

"Then you know where he'll be going now that the Praetor is out of the picture."

"You don't mean–"

"Exactly," Etchel said, a note of triumph lingering in his voice. "It's really quite amusing to me. Arragious still thinks that he'll be able to just walk in and do what he wants here, but he hasn't realized that, well…it's all going exactly as Freya expects it to."

"You think Lady Freya…_allowed _the Praetor to be killed?" Kari questioned carefully, disbelief flooding her mind. "Like Master Hirota? She couldn't have…!"

"No, no…" Etchel began, offering a jaunty wave of his hand as he spoke. "I mean that Freya _expected _it to happen. She took steps to keep it from happening, certainly, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that it _would _happen despite that."

Kari's mind worked feverishly as the pieces started to click into place for her following Etchel's words. Arragious was, as she now realized, taking out those responsible for his exile – first, Master Masaki Hirota, and now Praetor Arisa Minami. Those two _Erudite _were the only two of Master or Praetor rank still alive who were present for the discussion of his sentence; the others had either died following the war or left their stations. That meant…

"By the Creator…" Kari breathed, suddenly realizing what Freya intended. Etchel smiled.

"Looks like you _really _realize it now," Etchel remarked, nodding. "With those two out of the picture, Arragious is going to move up the chain…starting with Odin."

"Kill the Grand Master?" she whispered, still in shock that her thoughts a moment ago were as close to the truth as they had been. It seemed sort of surreal to think that even someone such as Arragious would be bold enough to make an attempt on the Grand Master's life, but it certainly seemed as if that was the direction that things were heading.

"First Odin, then Xeios, and then Freya herself. Pretty ambitious on his part, don't you think?" Etchel continued, glancing out towards the direction of Freya's palace. "Course, Arragious never was one to leave something halfway-finished."

The female _Malakh _started to say something in response, but fell into a short fit of coughing instead that caused waves of pain to shoot through her chest – the sword wounds she'd taken had been healed somewhat by the curative magic and the use of her Diviner, but the place where Arragious had stabbed her had been given no such aid, and the fiery magic he'd stricken her with before Etchel's arrival made all the wounds hurt even worse.

"Can you walk?" Etchel asked, waiting patiently for her to finish coughing before asking the question. Gingerly, she tried to get back to her feet, but the motion only intensified the pain she felt coming from her torso, and she slumped back down after a few seconds.

"I'll be fine here," she said, shaking her head. "Just get to the Executor, make sure he–"

Etchel cut her off by moving over again and placing one arm around her back, then the other around her legs before scooping her up and into his arms as easily as he could manage.

"Can't have you lying down on the job," Etchel said, meeting her brief look of surprise with the small grin he usually wore. "It isn't becoming of a Captain, after all…well, except for me, maybe."

"Six hundred years, and you're still lazy…" Kari murmured, shaking her head slowly. "You never change."

"Changing would be too much work," he replied, chuckling faintly. "Let's get you patched up." The younger _Malakh _finally smiled, resigning herself to being carried and trying to ignore the pain flowing through her body as she and Etchel disappeared in a burst of _Shunpo._

_(End: Never Forget – Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori; Halo 3)_

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[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office – 9:17 AM]

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Darius DeValle Sr. rubbed his eyes momentarily, glancing over the latest mission reports to hit his desk from the morning and last night. Several SeeD teams had made it back from assigned missions, including his son's team late last evening, and he'd stayed up later than he'd cared to in order to sift through the pile of reports and documentation that accompanied the missions in order to organize it enough to deal with in the morning. Even though he was now a bit more tired than he was accustomed to, he was glad that he'd pushed himself to do it last night – more reports and papers had been coming in since he had awoken, and were only serving to add to the blanket of white and blue covering his desk. A cup of coffee sat steaming to one tiny, cleared section of desk, and he reached for it as his eyes began to scan another paper listing new inventory acquired from Esthar for sale in Merchant's Alley. Inventory reports and purchase receipts were a fairly common thing to grace his desk's surface, even though he left most of those dealings to Katanas – which meant that more often than not, they really ended up in Ein's hands. His eldest son was shrewd enough to get the job done right, he knew, even if he lacked the stomach to handle some of his father's more unorthodox dealings. Ein – though Senior had been faintly skeptical of the boy's abilities at first – had also proven to be remarkably talented at his job, juggling multiple reports and contracts with ease nearly each and every day on top of the studies he still had to undertake.

A light on the screen in front of him suddenly turned to green with a faint tone, signaling that he was receiving an incoming call from outside of Garden. Typically, he simply let any calls to him go through Garden itself and be routed to his office through the organization's main system – OSIRIS – but he occasionally made exceptions for exceedingly specific or important matters. Absently, he tapped a button, pulling up the video call without taking his eyes off the report in his other hand.

"Headmaster DeValle."

"Good morning, Headmaster," James Alnon said, seated behind his desk at Executive Outcomes in his normal business attire. "I received your message about the mission this morning when I walked in. Your team already has the data, you said?"

Alnon's voice sounded impressed that Senior's SeeD team had already managed to extract the data he was looking for; even knowing the reputation of SeeD, he hadn't expected the mission to be completed for at least two or three days.

"That's correct," Senior replied, now putting the report in his hand down and taking another sip from his coffee mug. "My team retrieved the information yesterday, a few hours after insertion into the complex. However, it appears that the data is heavily-encrypted. I've had a team of decryption specialists working on it for several hours now, but so far they've not been able to crack the encryption algorithm used."

"Understandable," Alnon commented, nodding. "First Division's security protocols are incredibly complex and intricate. However, I believe I may be able to assist you with that."

"I'm listening."

"I assume that you have a secure channel over which you can transmit me the data?"

"Of course. The OSIRIS network's protocols are second-to-none when it comes to informational security procedures," Senior replied casually.

"If you would be kind enough to transmit the data, I'll take care of the decryption for you," Alnon stated. "I currently have the encryption scheme, as well as a corresponding decryption algorithm created by one of my programmers. I'll share the data with you once I complete the decryption."

"How do I know you won't simply decrypt it, and then hold some of the information back?" Senior asked. He only halfway believed that such a thing would happen, but he hadn't become the businessman he was without a healthy knowledge of how to keep deals even.

"In this case, I have everything to lose by keeping all the information to myself," the Executive Outcomes president replied. "I intend to bring down Vector Industries with this information if my suspicions are correct, and having multiple copies of the decrypted data – as well as the original encrypted files – increases the chance of that happening even if something happens to my data."

Senior smirked faintly on-screen. "Aiming to eliminate the competition, it would seem. A bold move."

"Don't misunderstand me, Headmaster," Alnon said, shaking his head. "Vector Industries may compete with Executive Outcomes, but the purpose for this wasn't simply to find a way to make Vector fold in the business sector. If this information shows what I believe it will show, then this becomes an issue of morality for me – I do not intend to let such practices get away unnoticed by such a large company. It would set examples for other companies that do not need to be followed."

"Very well," the Headmaster said, opting instead to change gears. "Might I ask how you came across the decryption scheme to the most heavily-guarded and secretive division in Vector Industries?"

"I have…a contact, you could say." Alnon's voice was hesitant, despite the fact that he felt Senior could be trusted with at least this much. He didn't know how much he could really share without compromising the position of his contact, but he didn't want to simply stonewall the Headmaster who had risked the safety of his team to investigate on his behalf. "Obviously, I can't give specifics, but they took a great personal risk to extract the decryption algorithm from Vector Industries and provide me with it."

"You're sure the algorithm is correct?"

"I trust them implicitly, so yes, I am sure."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I sent an analyst over to work with your team on this matter?" Senior asked, once again taking a drink from the coffee in his hand.

"Feel free to send them over," Alnon remarked, nodding. "I can arrange for transportation, if you like."

"That's quite alright," the Headmaster replied curtly. "Garden transportation can have them in Esthar later today, assuming your team is ready to begin the decryption once the data is received.

"We'll be ready to go within the hour we receive the data. Once we have the data decrypted and backups have been made, we'll contact you to arrange for data transmission."

"Excellent." Senior was always happiest when he could gain something without having to spend much to do so, and this was turning out to be a textbook case of that situation.

"I do hate to cut and run, Headmaster, but I've some other important business to attend to this morning. I appreciate all that you've done for me so far, and I hope to return the favor shortly," Alnon said, again nodding politely to the Trabian headmaster.

"I'll contact my analyst at once, and they'll be in Esthar by this afternoon," Senior replied. "Also, one of my specialists here will contact you shortly over a secure channel in order to transmit you the complete files recovered from Vector. I hope to hear good news soon, mister Alnon."

"You will, Headmaster DeValle. I assure you."

* * *

[July 7, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Concourse | 10:30 AM]

* * *

I can just faintly hear the sounds of birdsong over the hustle and bustle of the large, park-like area between Trabia's outer perimeter and the actual main complex itself. In a way, it's peaceful, but I've also come to regard the typical busy activity of the Garden itself as equally peaceful, even welcoming. Over time, I've started to think that it has something to do with my nature, as I tend to get somewhat impatient and irritable when just sitting idle or relaxing – I like having something to focus on or somewhere to go rather than just sitting and relaxing most of the time. With thousands of people in the Garden, it's almost impossible to find a time of day when it isn't flitting with activity from students and faculty alike, barring possibly the few hours of the night between midnight and sunrise. It's a far cry from what I was used to back on Earth, or even Spira, coming from a small town with absolutely no predilection for large crowds.

Normally, I wouldn't really be out here this early in the morning, as I typically go to the first floor's training center during the morning hours when I don't have class. However, I got a call from Yuna late last night that asked me to meet her out here at ten-thirty, and I wasn't about to turn her down just to go out and beat up some fiends. The only problem now, it seems, would be finding her – the entire area between the perimeter gated fencing and Garden itself is littered with a variety of chairs, picnic tables, trees, and various forms of shrubbery and foliage, almost like a circular park surrounding the structure. Trying to find Yuna in this throng of people seems like it'll turn into the classic problem of finding a needle in a haystack.

'_Some days, she's far smarter than I could ever hope to be.'_

Or it could be relatively simple, as I've just discovered – instead of wearing her Garden uniform like a lot of the people here are doing, myself included, Yuna seems to be wearing her more familiar attire from the Gunner dressphere, sitting quietly at an open table and peacefully watching her surroundings. I had kind of expected Rikku and Paine, or at least one of them, to be with her today, but it seems like both of them are busy. Brushing by a small group of cadets laughing and talking on their way towards Garden, I walk over to where Yuna is sitting and casually plop down on the other side of the table, giving a rather goofy grin to accompany my arrival.

"Hi."

"Hi," she replies, returning my smile with one of her own – albeit, a lot less goofy.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Leaning forward, I decide to rest my chin on clasped hands as I give Yuna my undivided attention. If she called me specifically and asked to meet, it must be important, after all.

"You've been…okay?" she asks, nodding in affirmation to my question. My first response is a faint shrug – after all, I'm still not sure whether I really _am _okay or not.

"More or less," I say after a moment, deciding to split the difference to keep from worrying her too much. "Busy, really, but that's life. What about you?"

"Just…the same, really." Her expression shifts back to a more even one as she speaks, meeting my attentive look with a serious look of her own. "It's very busy around here, all the time…there's so much to do and see, even when we're not training or working."

"I hear that…" I remark, nodding understandingly. "Sometimes, I wonder how I ever survived without all this to occupy me."

"In Spira?" Yuna asks, suddenly looking curious. Granted, I can't blame her – I'm certainly not talking about Spira, as we had plenty to occupy us there between Sin terrorizing the planet and Seymour manipulating the world's major religion.

"…Back home, actually."

I'm sure that Yuna noticed the hesitation in my voice, but I can't say that I really care about that. Ever since explaining everything to Rikku some time ago, I've been hesitant to even mention my home to others, though I do still think about it often.

"Never mind that, though," I continue, shaking my head and returning my attention to Yuna. "What did you want to talk about?"

"It's about…well, everyone, really." Yuna is the one to pause this time, and though I hate to admit it, my thoughts immediately go straight to the idea that something's wrong. I thought I had quashed my overprotective tendencies after everything that happened in Spira, but it seems like there's still a little part of me that harbors them.

"Something wrong?" I ask, almost a little too quickly. Yuna quickly holds a hand up in defense, and I force the thoughts away – she doesn't seem to be upset, which means it probably isn't anything terribly wrong, even if there is a problem.

"No, no," she states, shaking her head hastily in an attempt to reassure me. "Not wrong, just…important."

"Go on…"

"Well, I just found out about some of this, but…" Yuna stops for a moment, almost seeming to try and find the best way to say what she wants, before finally continuing after a few moments. "Rikku and Paine are going to be transferring to Galbadia."

_(Play: the harsh truth (piano & strings ver.) – Yuki Kajiura; Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra)_

The words hit me like a rush of cold Trabian air, and I realize that the accompanying chill which suddenly falls over me can't be just a result of the climate. "Galbadia? When?"

"…Tomorrow afternoon," she says hesitantly. She looks a bit upset by the news – at least to me, as I've gotten used to picking up her feelings by now – but manages to keep herself composed.

"And…they didn't think to tell me?" I'm somewhat surprised that the two of them wouldn't decide to tell me on their own…right before I realize that it's entirely possible that they haven't known long _either_, and telling Yuna to pass on the message might be the easiest way for them to do it quickly.

"They haven't been able to find you, honestly," Yuna remarks, frowning just faintly. "You're always on a mission, or in training, or off in the…Ethereal Plane, I think?"

My nod of assent that she has the name correct seems to be little comfort to either of us.

"It's just…I know that you're finally finding something to do with your life, and I'm happy for you, but it's almost like you've forgotten about us."

"…You know I wouldn't do that, Yuna," I start, suddenly feeling very ashamed of myself. If Yuna feels this way, then how do the others feel? What do they think of me now? "Not after everything that happened in Spira."

"But you barely come by anymore, you know?" she continues, her words coming a little more quickly now. "We see you every so often, but you don't stop and talk as much as you used to – you've always got something to do, somewhere to be…"

"I know, but…it's important–"

"More important than your friends?" Yuna interrupts, cutting off my rather weak protest nearly from the start. My head droops a bit, and I suddenly find that I can't bring myself to meet Yuna's gaze, mostly because I know that everything she's saying is _right. _I have been distant lately, especially after what happened between me and Rikku and the explanation of my duties as a Planeswalker. There's a long silence between the two of us, broken only by the sounds around us of people walking and talking on their way to or from Garden.

"Shuyin and Lenne want to go back to Spira, too," Yuna finally says, breaking the tenuous silence. "They've been talking with Angel about it, and he's going to take them back to Bevelle sometime in the next few days, I think."

"They're leaving too?" I ask, the tone of my voice coming out a little duller than intended.

"They…well, they miss Spira. Didn't you tell us a while back that you told the fayth something like that – that they probably missed everything they never got a chance to do?"

"…Pretty much," I say, nodding weakly. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, so the saying goes, and that hindsight is telling me now that bringing them along on this trip might not have been the best idea I've had – that I might've been too caught up in my own excitement to realize how they might've felt about everything. "What about you?" I ask, deciding to change the subject back for a moment. "Are you going to Galbadia too?"

The flash of emotion that plays across Yuna's face is brief, but telling. "I'm…I haven't decided yet," she says, shaking her head briefly. "I want to, but I know that I'd feel bad about leaving with you still here at Trabia. I've been thinking about it ever since they told me about it, but I still don't know what to do."

The way she says the words just makes me want to kick myself even more; all I can think about now is how much of a heel I've been acting like.

"Don't let me stand in the way, Yuna," I reply, finally able to look her in the eyes again. "If you want to go, go – they're your friends, and…really, they're closer to you than I am. I think I'd feel bad if you _didn't _go on account of me."

"Don't say that–"

"Come on, Yuna – be honest," I say, reversing part of the earlier discussion and cutting her off instead. If I don't get this off my chest now, I think, I won't be able to say it. "Before I came back, after we beat Sin, how long was I gone? Two years. Two years that Rikku probably didn't leave your side at all, that Paine joined up and stayed with the two of you. You girls are a team, a family. You're always there for each other, no matter what happens. And I think that if you stayed at Trabia solely because of me, you'd never really be happy."

Another silence seems to fall over the two of us as I finish speaking, glad that I finally managed to say what I mean for a change but loathing the circumstances of the words.

"Besides," I say, deciding to try and keep her from feeling bad about everything, "it's not like I couldn't visit easily. You know, with the Planeswalking and all."

Yuna nods even as a series of chimes emanate from one of my pants pockets, the alarm I had set on my GLD last night finally going off and alerting me to the time. Quickly, I reach into my pocket and pull out the device, glancing quickly at the time before shoving it back into the pocket it came from and turning back to Yuna with an apologetic look.

"…Sorry. Class – can't be late, or there'll be hell to pay," I explain, receiving another nod from Yuna as I stand up from the table. "Listen, Yuna…do you think I could meet them on the Celsius before they leave tomorrow?"

"I'll tell them you want to," she replies. "They'll be happy to, I'm sure."

"Good," I say, hoping that I can still salvage what little bit is probably all that's left of my friendship with them. "Yuna, I swear that I'll find some way to make this up to you…all of you. I promise that I'll be there tomorrow to see Rikku and Paine before they leave, no matter what."

To my relief, the smile that graces Yuna's face this time is genuine, and not sad. "When you make a promise…"

"I keep it," I finish, smiling at the words. "I'd say that you know how to pick 'em, but I think I sort of picked myself."

"Yeah," she says, giggling as she also stands up from the small picnic table in the concourse.

"I mean it," I repeat, looking her in the eyes again. "I'll be there. Call me and let me know what time they're leaving later – leave me a message, anything. I'm not gonna miss it."

_(End: the harsh truth (piano & strings ver.) – Yuki Kajiura; Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra)_

Even as I speak, I start to walk away, waving as I finish and watching long enough to see Yuna return the wave before I finally start heading back towards Garden for class. There's a tingling feeling in my gut even as I leave, however…an almost-sickening feeling that seems to permeate my body, enough to make me faintly nauseous the more I think about what just happened during that talk with Yuna. I know that everything she said was right, that everything really is all my fault for not taking the time to see them more often, and it makes me wonder just how badly I screwed up, how badly I might've hurt all of them by acting the way I have. In my mind, no matter what I do to rationalize it, there's really only one plain, simple word that describes how I feel about myself and how I've treated them.

'_**Betrayal.'**_

_**

* * *

**_This chapter is a little on the short side, I realize, and it's also more or less exclusively dialogue-driven. I enjoyed writing this chapter (when I had energy to write, that is) because of the chance I had to write character interactions, all of which I want to expand more on as time goes by. There is a lot of backstory behind Etchel, Kari, Arragious, and the Ethereal Plane in general that I won't get to do more than take passing glances at in _Dimensional Legend _- the more in-depth look will be saved for one of my planned tie-in stories, _Clouded Horizons: Origins_.

The last part between Yuna and Ben was hardest to conceive, but actually easiest to write once it started flowing. This marks the point at which Ben really realizes that he may have acted a little too rashly in several ways, and that it might've cost him something he can't replace in the long run - friendships. Yuna, as the one most inclined to speak her mind (along with Paine, that is), seemed the logical choice to call him on it, and the scene flowed fairly smoothly once I started writing it. Most of this will, in fact, come back to bite him later.

I'm hoping that work winds down a bit so that I can write more when I get home, but I have no illusions that it will happen at the present moment. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some work done on my days off, at least enough to keep everyone interested. As always, please read and review.


	58. I, IV, IX: What Lies Beneath

I certainly took my sweet time with this chapter, in my opinion. Being busy at work and then sick for the better part of two weeks once again killed a lot of the enthusiasm I had to _write _this chapter, though I had the ideas planned out for weeks beforehand.

Begin!  
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* * *

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_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
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_Chapter IX—What Lies Beneath_

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* * *

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[Location Unknown]

* * *

"You failed."

Arragious shot a mildly-irritated look at the source of the childlike voice in the room with him, closing his eyes after a moment and taking a deep breath.

"I dispatched the one I intended to. That, to me, is the very opposite of failure."

"But you left that Grim Angel alive," the voice remarked, sounding rather critical of Arragious' actions. "Actually, you left them both alive. You should've taken care of both of them – I'm very disappointed, Arragious."

"My revenge is my own, and I'll handle it as I see fit. I helped you escape your fate; that doesn't mean I'll bend to your every whim merely for entertainment."

A pair of bright blue, childlike eyes narrowed, hardening enough to make the former leader of the Gilead Order resist the urge to flinch.

"Watch your tone, Nicholai. If it wasn't for my power, you'd still be stuck in the Ethereal Plane right now – playing with Xeios, most likely."

"I'll need your help to deal with Odin," Arragious stated, ignoring the biting statement, "if for no other reason than to prevent anyone's interference. I respect his skill in combat; taking him down will be difficult enough without his counterpart stepping in."

"You're scared," the voice said, a childish giggle following the statement that sent a chill down Arragious' spine despite himself. "Can't take on the Grand Master, so you want an adult to step in?"

"Fear and caution are two separate things," the _Erudite _calmly responded, not rising to the bait that his 'employer' offered. "As I said, it would be foolish to try and attack Odin with the Executor so near. One must play to their strengths as much as possible, and there is no sense in running into overwhelming odds when the playing field can be leveled. If I must put aside my pride to achieve that, then so be it."

"Suit yourself," his companion replied casually, waving one small, manicured hand in his direction dismissively. "This means, of course, that you'll do something for me in return."

"As you wish."

"Exactly. Don't forget who helped you get this far, Nicholai," the voice said, the eerily-smiling face of a young girl turning its attention to Arragious for a brief moment. Arragious held back the irritation that was building inside of him, instead offering a curt nod to his companion as he stood and made to leave.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

[July 8, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, SeeD Commander's Office | 7:07 AM]

* * *

"This is Commander DeValle. How can I help you?"

"Commander DeValle, this is Dr. Juli Mizrahi from the Estharian Science and Technology Institute. How are you this morning?" a woman's voice said, the calm face of Odine's assistant appearing on Katanas' video screen.

"Just fine, doctor," Katanas responded, nodding. "I assume you're calling about the test results?"

"That is correct," Juli replied. "We ran a variety of tests on Mister Powell, and ran some of them twice to be on the safe side. With what you described, Dr. Odine wanted to err on the side of caution – among others, we ran two MRIs in order to check for any damage to the brain, as well as an electroencephalograph. I'm sending the results to your terminal now."

"It sounds as if you were rather thorough," Katanas said, satisfied. "Can you briefly explain the results? My knowledge of neuroscience is somewhat lacking, I'm afraid."

"Certainly. Nearly all of the tests we ran provided us with normal results. The MRIs, in particular, showed no neural damage, which assuaged some of our fears."

Katanas frowned, almost imperceptibly, as he took in the information. "I can't help but notice that you said 'nearly,' Dr. Mizrahi." Again, Mizrahi nodded, and her face took on a more concerned look as she spoke again.

"Again, you're correct. The EEG that we took showed some rather…unusual results. Among them, we saw a marked increase in beta waves, as well as a slight increase in theta waves."

"Would you explain why that is unusual?"

"Beta waves are a type of brain wave typically associated with alert and aware subjects. Before we began, as you informed us of Powell's use of a Guardian Force, we asked him to remove any Guardian Forces before any tests were undertaken. Keeping a Guardian Force active could, as shown by prior research, provide inaccurate testing results, especially for EEG readings. As Guardian Forces are sentient beings as well, they have their own measurable levels of brain wave activity."

"Which would interfere with the user's own brain waves?" Katanas asked.

"Precisely. The results, in such a case, would show a decided increase in certain types of brain waves, depending on the relative alertness level of the Guardian Force. With Powell, however, even after the removing of Guardian Forces, his EEG results showed a higher than normal level of beta waves."

"What does that say about Powell?" the SeeD Commander asked, suddenly very intrigued.

"I can only speculate, Commander – higher than normal brain activity could be caused by several things. High stress situations could trigger an increase in beta waves, perhaps. If what I've heard about SeeD is any indication, there is no shortage of stress in that line of work."

"That is certainly true," Katanas admitted, his voice lowering slightly. "And the theta waves that you mentioned? What about those?"

"Theta waves show up for a few more reasons than beta waves," Mizrahi explained. "Young children show high amounts of theta waves, as well as older children and adults who are drowsy or aroused. They also tend to spike when the person in question is trying to repress a response or an action."

"When they're trying to stop themselves from doing or saying something, you mean?"

"Correct. We saw a faint increase in theta waves during the test – he appeared to be very uncomfortable with some of the testing, however, particularly the MRIs. Odine and I both hypothesized that the spike could have been caused by anxiety."

"Do you think that is the case?"

"It's just a guess, Commander," Mizrahi said, shrugging over the video feed. "Once Odine arrives, I could have him give you his opinion."

"That would be good, yes," Katanas agreed. "When will he be in?"

"Around eight o'clock, I believe. Normally, he comes in at nine, but he's been engrossed in several projects recently on top of his normal lab work."

"If you would, see if he can spare a few minutes to speak with me once he arrives," Katanas stated. "I'll decide what to do once I have his opinion on the matter as well. Thank you for your time, Dr. Mizrahi – both yours and Dr. Odine's."

"I'm glad we were able to help, Commander DeValle," Juli stated, nodding respectfully. "I'll be sure to mention it to Dr. Odine when he arrives."

"Thank you," Katanas said again, watching as Mizrahi closed the video connection and leaving him alone with his thoughts. It seemed, now, that all he could do was remain patient until he could speak with Odine and determine his next move.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Palace of Creation, Freya's Chamber]

* * *

"My forces are sweeping the Upper Court now, milady. If the Exile is present, he _will _be found."

Odin's imposing stature stood in front of the Creator's throne, fully clad in his thick obsidian and bronze-colored plate armor. Nearby, Freya's other adviser stood calmly and quietly, Xeios' white robes blending with the pearlescent white color of the room around them.

"These unprovoked attacks upon Master Hirota and Praetor Minami are worrying," Freya replied. "If the Exile has returned for revenge, he has found an easier beginning to that vengeance than I had hoped."

"He _will _be found," Odin repeated, his voice rising. "On my honor, I swear it."

"Arragious' sudden return is…troubling," Xeios commented, speaking for the first time during the meeting. "Why now, of all times? The war ended six centuries ago – one would believe that he would have chosen revenge centuries before now, if that were truly his aim."

"You suspect an alternate purpose to his return?" the Creator questioned, turning her attention to Xeios.

"I do," the white-clad mage remarked calmly, not betraying his inward worry. "We _Erudite _are long-lived, that is true, but even we follow impulses, emotion…direction. As I mentioned, I believe that Arragious would have acted sooner if revenge were his real motivation; his emotions should have either cooled or festered over time in that regard, pushing him to either act quickly or not at all."

"Your words have merit, Executor. What do you believe Arragious is after, if not vengeance?"

"I do not know," Xeios admitted. "Even during the Gilead Order's existence, Nicholai's emotions were as reading a book with no words – merely empty pages to stare at, devoid of anything of value."

"Nicholai was always cunning," Odin added, nodding at Xeios' words, "and his actions here seem too direct. They are not the actions of the Captain-Commander that I watched for over a millennium."

"Vengeance can make people act against what rational thought and planning might dictate. Let us assume, for the moment, that he is acting on his vengeance. Master Hirota and Praetor Minami were both directly involved with the decision that led to his exile. Who, then, is left who also partook of that meeting?"

"Of the Masters and Praetors, none," the Executor stated, shaking his head. "With Hirota and Minami's passing, those eight who participated in that ancient meeting have all passed to Soul Society. However…"

"Yes?"

"The three of us, milady. We were also present, though I hardly feel it needs to be said."

"You think Arragious a fool enough to make an attempt on our lives?" Odin asked, his voice carrying a disbelieving tone. "Preposterous! Nicholai knows that engaging and defeating any one of us alone would be difficult, if not outright impossible! With the might of our forces behind us, even the former Captain-Commander would have no chance to achieve his revenge."

Xeios remained silent for several long seconds in the wake of Odin's statement before slowly nodding. "Perhaps you are correct," he said, looking between Odin and the Creator.

"You have something more to say?" Freya asked, noticing the hesitation in Xeios' voice.

"I merely think that something is beyond our sight in this situation," the Executor responded. "Lord Odin, you said the words yourself – Nicholai's actions appear too direct for someone of his former station and experience."

"Attempting to breed in us a false sense of security?" Odin frowned. "A possibility, but one I still believe remote. As I said, Nicholai knows that even he cannot match our martial prowess."

"Alone, perhaps, but with help? How does that impact upon your assessment, Lord Odin?"

"You suspect traitors?" Odin asked, his voice lowering slightly as the weight of Xeios' implication fell upon him.

"Sympathizers," Xeios clarified, "but yes. Not everyone reacted well to Arragious' exile, though the general populace did clamber for his deposal. He had many who respected him highly even outside the Gilead Order."

"If any aided him in infiltrating our quarters and assassinating our leaders, they will be rooted out and made to answer for their crimes," the Grand Master stated with an air of finality and determination about his words.

"I understand Lady Inihara was wounded attempting to fend off Arragious when Praetor Minami was killed," Freya said, changing the subject at Odin's declaration. "Will she recover?"

"She will," Xeios answered with a nod. "Her injuries were painful, though only one was severe. I was informed that she was brought to our healers by, of all beings, Etchel Beoulve."

"Beoulve?" Odin asked, suddenly curious. "He was a member of the Order of Grim Angels along with Inihara, was he not?"

"He was."

"I vaguely remember him," Odin said, slowly nodding. "He left following the war, as memory serves, and took up his former position when the Order of Grim Angels reformed under Lord Sovereign Kuchiki's rule. Why return to the Ethereal Plane now?"

"He and Lady Inihara share quite the history, I am told," the Executor said, amusement flashing across his features. "If she is to be believed, he visits her quite often simply to keep in touch."

"I cannot imagine the Lord Sovereign would be pleased with his traipsing between planes as he pleases."

"Possibly. Given Etchel's…unique mannerisms, however, one would think that he may have some leniency from Lord Sovereign Kuchiki in this regard."

"That seems an accurate assessment," Odin grunted, nodding. "Perhaps the Lord Sovereign merely wants him ou -"

Odin found himself suddenly and rudely interrupted by the opening of the brilliant white doors of Freya's throne room. Xeios' eyes turned sharply towards the doors to be followed moments later by his own; only certain individuals ever entered Freya's throne room without prior announcement, whether by himself, Xeios, or one of the throne room guards. The Pillars of Reality and Freya's four current Planeswalkers were among those who exercised that right most frequently, and those Planeswalkers under her control generally only did so when important information needed to be shared.

"Six centuries, and this room has hardly changed at all," a voice spoke from the doorway, causing Odin's eyes to widen briefly in surprise.

"Arragious Nicholai. I must say, I am surprised to see you here – I was not aware that you had decided to so readily submit yourself to judgment," Odin stated, turning his full attention towards the _Erudite._

"I've come for nothing of the sort," Arragious remarked, his eyes narrowing at the Grand Master's words. "To be brief, _Lord _Odin, I come to mark the third recipient of my vengeance."

"I was also not aware that you found any honor in suicide," Odin replied casually. "You walk in, alone, and challenge the three most powerful beings in this entire plane not alone, but _together_? Your tactical acumen has clearly deteriorated over the years, Nicholai."

Arragious seemed, if anything, unconcerned with Odin's remark as he stepped further inside the room, eyes moving between each of the three beings present in turn.

"Who says I came alone?"

Arragious let the implications of that statement sink in for a scant few seconds as he smiled, listening to the sound of the voice that filled the air inside the throne room moments later.

"There's no one else to blame for his anger, Freya. He's here, and he wants _blood_. Are you ready? I've been waiting for this, and it will be _delightful._"

The girlish voice that had spoken broke into giggling as she finished, causing both Odin and Xeios' eyes to widen at the sound.

"Perhaps you understand now why I am…unconcerned."

Whatever Odin intended to say was stopped as light briefly flashed around both himself and Arragious, fading away as quick as it had appeared to reveal the absence of both. Xeios immediately turned to Freya, expression thick with concern – both for Odin, as well as themselves. Freya's taciturn nature seemed to melt away as she stood, facing the Executor with a commanding presence about her form.

"_Find her."_

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[July 8, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Front Concourse | 7:26 AM]

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine sat down at one of the outside tables within Trabia Garden's front outer concourse. It was much quieter than it had been the previous afternoon, with only a few cadets and other SeeD officers out and about at the early morning hour. Rikku and Paine were scheduled to leave at 8 AM sharp, and they had decided on 7:30 as a good meeting time to allow time to talk, say goodbyes, and make any last-minute preparations before they headed out to Galbadia Garden. They'd also decided to meet out in the front concourse, instead of at the Celsius – Rikku had said that she was going to miss the atmosphere, having seen pictures and video from Galbadia Garden, and Yuna and Paine had seen no reason to object to meeting out in the open, park-like area.

"Think he'll show?" Paine asked, glancing around the area for any sign of Ben.

"He'll be here," Yuna said firmly, nodding. "He promised."

Paine didn't say anything further, letting the matter drop as she watched the sunrise. Yuna had explained about the talk she'd had with him yesterday, and Paine had agreed that she had done the right thing by saying what she had. Yuna had her doubts, as almost anyone would after a discussion such as that, but still ultimately felt as if she'd been in the right. Rikku agreed with her a hundred percent, unwilling to let Yuna's doubts get in the way of something that she believed her cousin was right in having done.

Rikku herself had gotten over some doubts of her own, mostly pertaining to the things she'd said to Ben around three months ago. Just like Yuna, she'd felt that he had been too wrapped up in other problems and not thinking enough about not only her feelings, but everyone else's feelings as well. However, she would have picked her own time and place to talk to him about it…if not for Fayt's influence. The Pillar of Fate had exerted a kind of mental dominance over her shortly before that time, not explicitly controlling her but rather bending her will, making her more susceptible to suggestion and directing. Things she had meant to keep contained had come flooding out, and before she knew what was happening, she had said far more than she ever meant to say at the time, in quite a different manner than she had intended to say it. She'd spoken with him again, after things had quieted down more, but the damage had already been done – both of them knew that, and he'd made her promise to not feel like everything was her fault. After all, he'd told her, no matter the specifics of what had been said, she was right. He wasn't going to hold that against her, and she'd done her best to believe that she'd done the right thing in the end.

"There he is!" Yuna said, pointing out towards the direction of the front entrance to Garden itself. Rikku and Paine followed her gesture, and surely enough, the trio could see the slowly-approaching form of the Blade Knight, dressed in his more casual blue-and-white attire instead of his SeeD uniform. Yuna's smile turned a bit downward as he got closer, however; he looked somewhat haggard, as if he hadn't slept well, and it didn't take much for her to notice the dark circles under his eyes as he walked up to the table, even in the dim morning light. For just a moment, she wondered if he'd been up all night worrying about meeting them this morning, or if he'd been thinking about their talk. Quickly, she forced down the guilt her mind was telling her she should feel – it could've had nothing to do with her, for all she knew, and he had said himself that she was right when she called him to tell him about the meeting time.

Tired though he looked, Ben was still awake, and offered a short wave as he approached the trio of girls. Yuna waved back, as did Rikku, but Paine just nodded as he walked over and sat down at the larger table that they had decided to occupy.

"Morning," he said, looking towards each of the three in turn and offering a weary smile. Rikku and Paine each offered greetings, but Yuna reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, causing Ben to shrug.

"Just a rough night," he remarked, stifling a yawn with one hand before continuing. "You know how it goes sometimes." Yuna nodded, removing her hand and sitting back in her place at the table as Ben turned his attention to Rikku and Paine. "So, Galbadia, huh. How'd that happen?"

"Apparently, Commander DeValle wants Rikku to go through some special training," Paine replied. "I decided to come along to study combat tactics."

"Tactics? You couldn't do that here?" Ben queried, focusing on Paine.

"Galbadia's program appeals to me more," Paine answered. "Trabia puts a lot of focus on incorporating magic into tactics and planning. Galbadia deals solely with the philosophy of combat and battlefield tactics where magic isn't an issue – to them, magic is a luxury that can't replace a good weapon at your side."

"Point," he conceded. "What about you, Rikku? What kind of training are you going to be taking?"

"Stealth training, I think…it seems like they don't want me to know a lot about it just yet. Almost like that's part of the training," she answered.

"Stealth training, huh…sounds like a breeze for someone like you. Looks like you get to prove to a whole new world that you're a master thief," Ben said with a laugh.

"Well…I don't know about _master_…"

"Oh, come on, Rikku. You did manage to steal my heart, after all."

Rikku, despite herself, felt a faint flush sweep across her face at the words even as Yuna giggled quietly from beside her.

"It must be early, for me to say something like _that_…I sound like a bad romance novel," Ben said, chuckling. "Remind me to write my own lines from now on, okay?"

"I thought it was sweet!" Yuna interjected, enjoying the amusing mix of embarrassed pride and plain embarrassment that swept across Rikku's face.

"Anyway…so, you're leaving at 8?"

"Not a second late," Paine stated, nodding in confirmation. "We're heading to the train station between here and Esthar, which will take us on to Galbadia."

"I'm gonna miss you two, you know that?" he said, looking at Paine. "You were the one who kept everybody in line back on Spira, Paine. What am I gonna do without you to tell me I'm being an idiot?"

"You'll be fine," Paine said, without even a moment's hesitance. "After all, it was mostly Rikku I had to keep an eye on."

"Hey!"

"Speaking of Rikku," Ben mentioned, shifting his attention over to the blond girl, "she's the one who always makes us laugh when things are bad. Who am I gonna have to do that now? Tetsuya? He's not as good at it as you are."

"Like Paine said, you'll be fine," Rikku said cheerily, grinning and shooting a glance at the stoic woman beside her.

"Doesn't change the fact that I'm gonna miss you both. All that time we spent together…guess it just means I'm going to have to visit a lot, huh?"

"And bring Yunie, too!" Rikku added, throwing an arm around Yuna happily.

"You're…not going?" Ben asked, sounding rather surprised as he looked towards Yuna.

"I…finally decided that I'd be happier here. Rikku and Paine understand – we talked about it last night."

"You're sure?" he asked, sounding as if he couldn't quite believe that Yuna was willingly choosing not to go with her two friends. Yuna merely nodded in response.

"I'll be able to fly to Galbadia with the Celsius, after all – or you could bring me, like Rikku said."

"That's true." The Blade Knight shrugged briefly, letting an almost-awkward silence drift over those gathered before Paine suddenly decided to speak again.

"We should probably get going."

"So soon?" Ben questioned, standing from his place at the table. "Well…I guess you should go ahead and make a final check of things, stuff like that…"

"Yeah," Paine stated simply. "We'll be in touch – don't worry."

"Wouldn't dream of worrying," he replied with a smile as Paine stood, followed a moment after by Rikku and then Yuna. "You're more than capable of taking care of yourselves, after all." Quietly, he stepped over and put a hand on Paine's shoulder – he would've hugged her, but he knew Paine wasn't one for such things except in exceptional circumstances. "Just don't get too overconfident out there."

"You act like we're trainees from Bevelle," Paine commented, giving him a wry look. "We'll be fine."

He nodded in response, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder before stepping past her and over to Rikku. Neither said anything for several seconds, simply looking into each other's eyes as they each waited for the other to speak.

"Wish things could've been different," Ben finally said, breaking the silence. "That's life, though."

"Yeah," Rikku agreed. "It's never easy, is it?"

"It gets easier," he remarked, shrugging. "'With age comes experience,' or so the saying goes."

"You really think we could've changed things?"

"Who knows? Maybe we could've. Maybe it would've wound up the same, no matter what happened. If we spend all our time worrying, we'll never get anywhere."

"Maybe…"

Another moment of silence passed between the two before Ben pulled Rikku into a hug, smiling softly as the blond girl placed her head on his shoulder. Yuna and Paine watched as their two friends finally seemed to reconcile after weeks of seeming to avoid each other – that wasn't the case, both knew, but it had certainly seemed that way at first look. Content to see that feelings were finally mending, Paine started to step away, expecting Rikku to follow as soon as she could.

The scream from Yuna that echoed behind her stopped Paine dead in her tracks.

Instinctively, Paine spun back, unsure of just what to expect – had a fiend gotten through the gates or over the outside wall? No, she realized, taking in the scene that met her eyes…the truth was far more disturbing.

Yuna stood with a horrified expression, seemingly frozen and stunned to the point where she could do naught but stare.

Rikku was hunched over somewhat, one hand placed on her chest as she attempted to remove a knife lodged near her sternum.

And in front of Rikku, Ben stood with an unnerving smile etched across his face and his left hand covered in blood…Rikku's blood.

_(Play: Hollowed – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)_

"I wonder if this hurts as much as your betrayal hurt me," he asked, his voice suddenly carrying no trace of the fatigue he had showed minutes before, his eyes clear and cold. "I felt it appropriate to make your departure a bit more…_lasting._"

Paine, despite the anger that bubbled up inside her almost instantly at the sight, felt her blood chill at the words – the look in his eyes was one that she'd never seen him hold before, one that was almost unnatural, almost like…

Yuna suddenly rushed to Rikku's side, snapping out of her trance, and Paine realized all at once what the look in his eyes was, as well as why it seemed so wrong on his face.

Bloodlust shimmered in the young swordsman's eyes as he moved his gaze to Paine, reaching to his side and drawing one of the blades there as wisps of jet black energy swirled around him.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze as Paine's hand slowly went to her blade. In the back of her mind, she hated what she was about to do. She hated the look in Ben's eyes as he smirked at the second-by-agonizing-second descent his ex-girlfriend – her friend – was making. She hated the quiet echoing sound that her drops of blood made as they hit the ground below her that she was sure that she could not normally hear.

She hated that she was seeing the hated expression that she had once seen on Nooj's face as he had shot his allies; his friends. She despised the fact that she didn't see this coming, because every warrior instinct in her told her that something was inherently _wrong_ with Ben. She didn't know how it was possible that Ben was acting so similar to Nooj back then, but she hated it.

She hated the fact that tears had reached her eyes and she hated the subtle quiver in her hand as she unsheathed her blade. She hated the fact that her mind was clouded so much with rage. At that moment, she hated that Benji Powell was so weak as to let whatever had happened to him happen to him.

But mostly, she hated herself because she was sure that not for a moment had she questioned him when obviously he was so afflicted.

And in that moment, Paine Zaraki saw _red._

"You _son of a bitch!"_

_

* * *

_

[July 8, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, SeeD Commander's Office | 7:45 AM]

* * *

"Got a minute?"

Katanas looked up from his musings and saw Liam Bayloh leaning against his doorframe. To the side of him, Ein shrugged helplessly. Angel had that way about him, and Katanas couldn't help but smile; he nodded. "How can I help you, Colonel Bayloh? " Katanas asked, motioning for him to come in and close the door behind him.

Liam walked in, allowing the door to be shut behind him by Ein before taking a seat across the SeeD Commander. "Just curious if I can ask you about Ben Powell's status. I know you probably can't tell me, but he's a friend and I'm not sure it's wise to ask him now."

Katanas considered the matter for a moment. On one side, it was a violation of every protocol in the SeeD handbook. But, his suspicions had been aroused since he'd talked to Dr. Odine's office earlier, and he wasn't sure that talking to Angel about his unanswered questions was a bad idea. Nodding, he handed over a folder to the Colonel.

Carefully, Angel opened the folder, realizing as he did so just how large of a concession Katanas was making on his behalf. Inside were a myriad of papers, printouts, and what looked like medical scans and results that had been neatly sorted and filed within the folder. The topmost was a picture, the result of an MRI scan, with various notes scribbled onto the picture in handwriting Angel couldn't read – mostly because of how messy it was. He placed that aside and proceeded to the next paper, a series of notes typed up neatly and filling nearly the whole page. A quick skim of the page revealed that it was a group of notes and hypotheses made in regards to the MRI picture and results of another test, one which referenced only a few things he fully understood. The words "Guardian Force" stood out, however, and bits and pieces of his memory of lessons into the effects of Guardian Force usage slowly came back to him as he read over the document.

"Brain scan?" he asked Katanas, not taking his eyes off the paper as he continued to read.

"Correct," the SeeD Commander replied. "Apparently, they were very thorough in their testing. Worries about neural damage, it seems, were luckily unfounded."

"What's this about 'beta waves' and 'theta waves' in the report?" Angel asked, looking up from the sheet.

"Odine and his assistant reported that Powell had higher than normal levels of both those waves in his brain activity. As they explained to me, beta waves are associated with alert subjects, while theta waves are associated with a variety of things, including response or action repression – Guardian Forces have measurable levels of both of those while junctioned, as well. They apparently asked him to unjunction any Guardian Forces he was currently using, which he did, but there were still abnormally high levels of those waves present."

"Even without the GFs?"

"Even then, it seems."

"That doesn't make any sense," Angel said, shaking his head. "Those waves from a GF would show up on the test, right? If higher amounts of those waves are caused by having a GF junctioned, and he didn't, then…what does that leave?"

"Dr. Mizrahi – Dr. Odine's assistant – said that it could possibly be caused by high-stress situations. Just a hypothesis, you understand."

"Medical tests are high-stress situations?" Angel asked skeptically. "I think that's a little off the mark, don't you?"

"I was thinking the same," Katanas said with a nod. "This situation with Powell began after he confronted Destine in the Ethereal Plane. Rubedo said that he seemed to be normal, if extremely fatigued, once the battle was finished."

"Rubedo was there?"

"He was. While Powell confronted Destine, Rubedo dealt with one of her minions; I believe you had an encounter with the _Daiesthai_ in question some time before, in fact, at the Sorceress Memorial."

Angel suddenly stopped, dropping the file he had been holding back into the folder. "Rubedo was fighting this _Daiesthai_, you said?"

"Correct."

"Obviously, Rubedo won," Angel said quietly, seeming to work through something in his mind. "Did he say what happened after he beat the _Daiesthai_?"

"I believe Rubedo's account says that he – the _Daiesthai_, I mean – vanished. Presumably, to Soul Society."

Both sat in silence for a moment, each going over the information they discussed. It didn't make any sense; a Guardian Force couldn't have been there…

…but a _Daiesthai could_.

Angel's eyes widened as pieces started to fit together. Almost as if he was following the train of thought that the elder Planeswalker was having, Katanas' eyes narrowed. Angel spoke first.

"Katanas, find Destine. How did I not see it sooner?"

Before Katanas could ask Angel to clarify, he'd Planewalked from his sitting position. Katanas quickly moved to the door and opened it. Ein glanced up from his desk, a look of curiosity in his eyes. Katanas nodded to him. "Keep an eye on things, Ein."

Without another word, he too Planeswalked.

* * *

Paine stumbled back, her thick blade shoved aside by the thin katana in Ben's hand as if it were hollow and weightless. She was still angry – furious, even – but that anger had given way to a deadly focus that she had relied on in the past. It was a focus she needed, as she also realized that she was in a fight she wasn't sure that she had the ability to win. Nevertheless, she had to try – Rikku was in no condition to defend herself, and Yuna was busy trying to save the life of her friend, who was on the ground and slipping further towards the point of no return as the seconds ticked away. Flame burst into existence around her blade, sloughing off into a rushing blaze as she swung at Ben, only to be negated near-instantly by a blast of magical water that parted as soon as the flames were extinguished, revealing a series of knives that hurtled towards her with pinpoint accuracy. A wave of pitch-black energy erupted from her blade as she quickly swung again in retaliation, surging forward and obliterating the knives as they flew.

Icicles suddenly burst from the ground under her, and she instinctively leapt away as the ground broke open beneath her in chunks to let the magical ice manifest. Even before she hit the ground again, Ben was closing to melee range, keeping up a fast and varied assault that left her little room to attack, instead forced to block or counter.

"You save the world, and yet you can't even swing a sword with any decency," the Blade Knight commented, sword swiping across again and leaving a trail of watery energy behind it. Paine's sword burst into flame a second time, flash-evaporating the water with the sudden and intense fire and kicking up a haze of steam around them as she batted the blade aside, lunging out with a quick thrust.

"Come on, Rikku…come on, stay awake…"

Rikku was having an increasingly-harder time focusing on Yuna's words, and the brown-haired girl knew it even as she fought to keep her friend conscious and stable. She didn't know entirely how bad the wound was, but she did know that there was far too much blood on the ground, on her hands, Rikku's clothes…everywhere. Already, the girl's SeeD uniform shirt was soaked through with blood, and Yuna's hands were covered in red as she kept pressure on the wound, trying to get the curative magic she was focusing on to work correctly. Whatever else the wound had done, it seemed to be keeping her magic from healing in its entirety; the process seemed sluggish and weak as opposed to the fluid healing process she was used to seeing from _Cure _magic.

Behind her, she could hear Paine fighting with Ben, trying to keep him occupied while she took care of Rikku. She still felt as much in mental shock as Rikku was in physical shock, and only the thoughts of what she needed to do kept her from locking up again.

A bolt of magic went off nearby as she continued focusing on the magic, blowing a hole in the dirt and showering her and Rikku with debris. She spared a glance back, seeing Paine standing in front of her to keep her safe, and redoubled her efforts to heal Rikku.

"Rikku!"

The loud sound of her voice seemed to bring Rikku around again, if only for a few seconds, and Yuna kept speaking, trying to keep Rikku focused on the sound of her voice until she was sure the wound wouldn't turn out to be fatal.

* * *

The flat of Paine's blade smashed solidly into Ben's ribcage, dazing him for the moment she needed in order to catch her breath and reorient herself. For all her skill, that had been the first meaningful blow she'd landed so far in the short fight. A throwing knife protruded from the lower part of her abdomen, and another from the upper part of her left leg, but neither wound was serious – she'd suffered through worse before, she knew.

"Lucky shot," he growled, holding one arm across his ribs as he pulled wind back into his lungs. "I guess without skill, you have to have _something _to help you."

Red energy suddenly flared up around him, and Paine had an instant to realize that she was in trouble right before Ben's form blurred and shot forward, the hilt end of his sword cracking her across the side of her face and sending her sprawling to the ground.

Paine went to bring her sword up, only to have one foot come down on it and pin it to the ground. In the next second, the blade of Ben's katana was pointed directly at her face, an amused grin on the face of the one holding it.

"Hm…this will _hardly _be any fun at all."

Ben suddenly disappeared from Paine's vision as something – _someone _– crashed into him from above, bowling him over and to the side, away from Paine and her friends. A brief glimpse as she took up her sword again revealed Angel grappling with Ben for his own blade, an interruption that she was eternally grateful for.

"Yeah – for you," Angel quipped, grabbing Ben by the front of his shirt with one hand and effortlessly lifting him into the air before throwing him away. He spared a look back at Paine and the rest as Ben slammed into the ground several meters away, thankful that his Planeswalk hadn't taken him too far off-target – just a couple feet in the air as opposed to on solid ground.

"Ensign Zaraki, get Ensigns Katsuragi and Kaname out of here; I'm counting on you to get them to safety. I'll handle things here." Paine began to say something to object to Angel's statement, but Angel cut her off before she could get the first word out. "Don't worry, Paine. I'll dish out enough vengeance for all three of you. You kept them safe, and I'll ensure this day won't be forgotten."

He turned his attention back to the person in front of him, who had yet to get back to his feet fully – apparently, the throw had been much stronger than he had intended. Unexpected, but it gave him time to take care of one more thing. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his GLD and clicked it on; in a few short words, he had sent a message informing the general populace of Garden that the front concourse was off limits by order of the SeeD Commander's office until further notice. Thankfully, it was still early enough that the concourse was effectively deserted in the general area – everyone was either in early morning classes, having breakfast, or waking up for morning activities or meetings.

"So, it's come to this?" Angel asked, watching as Ben finally made his way back to his feet and back towards his position.

"You always knew it would, vampire," he replied, his tone icy. "I was hoping you'd show up a few minutes earlier, though. I would have really liked you to have seen the look on Rikku's face as my knife entered her chest."

Angel's teeth gritted at the words, but he refused to rise to the bait; anger, no matter how deserved, wouldn't help him here. "This is your last chance; I won't hold back. We both know you've got a problem."

"We fought in Spira, didn't we?" Ben asked, starting to pace slowly in front of Angel while keeping his eyes trained on him all the while. "Maybe I want to finish that fight. Maybe I want to show you once and for all that I'm better, faster, and _stronger _than you."

Angel sighed, simply shaking his head as he watched. "Okay. Sorry for this, Ben."

No further words were spoken, by either Angel or Ben, as the _Vayash Moru _unsheathed the cerulean-colored blade from his back and charged into the fray.

* * *

Until next chapter...


	59. I, IV, X: Liberi Fatali

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter X—Liberi Fatali_

_

* * *

_

_(Play: The Messenger – Your Favorite Enemies, Dissidia: Final Fantasy)_

Strikes rained down from Angel's Atma Weapon as he pressed his opening attack, hammering away at the Blade Knight's defense. For all his vampiric strength, Ben was managing to at least muster an equal defense against the powerful blows by using Angel's own momentum to deflect the blows, letting them simply slide off of his sword as he parried and redirected the attacks. It suddenly seemed to Angel as if Ben were fighting with a style more appropriate to his bodily frame and skill – using technique instead of brute strength.

A quick, arcing strike from Angel's blade met Ben's katana, driven away harmlessly by the younger boy and leading into a countering attack that Angel spun away from before ducking a following horizontal strike that went clear over his head. Frigid icicles sprouted from the ground as Angel cast a _Blizzard _spell, but Ben simply flipped away from the shards, landing outside the range of the spell before letting loose a blast of fire that melted them into puddles of water.

"Last time was for show," Ben commented, channeling more magic as he spoke. "This time, we play for keeps."

His hand clenched as pink diamonds of energy swirled around his body, the _Triple _magic giving him the ability to channel multiple spells with near-simultaneous timing. By the time the spell finished casting, Angel was back within melee range, chopping out again with a two-handed strike that forced Ben to block the strike instead of simply parrying. The force behind the blow nearly bent him backwards, pressing his feet into the dirt as he struggled to keep the blade from meeting flesh. The pressure eased suddenly as Angel drew his blade back before slicing low at Ben's knees in an attempt to cripple him early, but Ben vanished as Angel's blade transited the space he'd just occupied, the short Planeswalk carrying him a few meters behind Angel. Angel spun, watching as a flat wave of red energy flew towards him, and the Atma Weapon started to shimmer with translucent blue power as he sliced through the wave. The wave split neatly in half, flying in pieces to each of Angel's sides, and a creaking sound carried throughout the area right before the ground shook around both fighters, the result of a fallen tree cut in half by the remnants of the attack.

By that point, Ben had already begun casting a trio of spells; red fire, a rose-tinged spherical barrier, and a blue and yellow-colored hexagonal barrier sprang up around him before fading away as the _Haste_, _Shell_, and _Protect _magic took effect. Angel's immediate response was to call up dispelling magic – even for someone with his stamina and power, letting all those enhancing effects stand would be a terrible problem – but found himself invested in fighting off the slices of Ben's blade before he could complete his spell. He'd suspected it before, but now he knew it for certain; while he held a great and almost disparate strength advantage, Ben had firmly secured a speed advantage ever since their last fight, especially now that he was under the effect of _Haste _magic. Three slices grated across the metal of his blade before Ben moved again, striking rapidly and from varying angles in an attempt to break Angel's guard, but Angel merely kept his calm and moved his blade as little as possible to intercept the blows, the Atma Weapon's cerulean blade gliding smoothly from defensive position to defensive position.

Angel, after all, hadn't survived for two centuries without adding a fair number of tricks to his repertoire. From humans to Ethereal beings to fiends, he'd trained against nearly every variety of being in the realm, and his combat skills had improved by leaps and bounds during the decades he'd spent in Freya's employ. His blade leapt out suddenly as he finished parrying a slash, knowing exactly when to strike for maximum effect, and Ben withdrew as rapidly as he'd advanced.

"Afraid to attack?" he asked, watching Angel cautiously as he took a moment to assess his fellow Planeswalker. "I'll break your defense soon enough."

Even with the added speed of his magic, Ben's reflexes were pushed to their limits to parry as Angel suddenly appeared in his field of vision, the Planeswalked step taking him across the short distance to lunge out with the Atma Weapon. His silver blade swung around again at neck-level, but Angel spun smoothly inside his guard, and a powerful fist crashed into the side of his head as Angel backhanded him with his free left hand, sending him flying into a nearby picnic table and reducing it to lengths of firewood and splinters.

"It's not fear," Angel said casually, waiting for Ben to get up. "I wouldn't make any assumptions just yet."

A piece of wood came flying out of the pile suddenly as Ben moved again, the projectile easily shorn in half by a quick movement of Angel's blade as the blue-clad Planeswalker got back to his feet, surrounded by the remnants of the table. His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, kicking aside pieces of debris, and he reached inside his mind to touch the spirit residing there. A shimmering shield of energy materialized in front of him moments later to absorb a gout of flame from Angel, an action which caused the older Planeswalker's eyes to widen as he realized what was about to happen. Quickly, Angel retreated a brief distance even as he delved into his own mind, calling forth the power of his own Guardian Force. It only took a scant few seconds for Ben's GF to materialize, and the air around him chilled into a cold fog as an icicle erupted from the ground, containing within it the blue-skinned form of the Guardian Force Shiva. The icicle shattered an instant later, releasing Shiva from the frozen enclosure, and blue energy spread over her hands as she began to charge power for her Diamond Dust attack.

Angel hadn't moved an inch as Shiva manifested, even in the face of the Guardian Force's fury, and Shiva was just about ready to release the power contained in her attack when his own Guardian Force made itself present on the mortal plane. The skies around the area seemed to darken slightly as energy rushed up from Angel's form, swirling and condensing before forming a portal of white energy high above the Planeswalker. A roar issued forth from the gate, and a sleek form began to tear itself free of the portal, one that seemed to make even the Guardian Force of Ice hesitate briefly. A long, draconian neck emerged first, followed by two slender forearms ending in four-toed feet with razor-sharp talons, two massive scaled wings to hold it aloft, and a thick, muscular tail, with skin a brilliant bronze color and what seemed to be an aura of holy power surrounding it. It was not the size of the mighty Guardian Force Bahamut, but it was still a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight to behold.

"Crusader," Angel whispered, gesturing in Shiva's direction to direct the summoned creature as it flew down from the portal overhead. The dragon needed no further direction, stopping in front of Angel as brilliant white energy began to gather in its maw. Shiva's hesitation ended as Crusader began to collect power of its own, and she released her attack in a thundering wave of frost and snow that barreled towards summon and summoner at a rapid pace, freezing the ground that it passed over solid as it moved. The energy around Crusader's mouth split off into three spheres of energy that swirled in front of him in a triangular formation, and he bellowed again before releasing the attack to counter Shiva's own. Holy energy met the wave of frost, and the ensuing explosion rocked the entire front concourse, ripping trees and tables apart in its wake and scattering shards of wood and metal for meters around along with kicking up a massive cloud of smoke and dust.

Angel kept one hand shielding his eyes as he waited for the dust cloud to clear, the other hand keeping a firm grip on the Atma Weapon. He could see that the area between them looked like a series of bombs had gone off, with the ground charred and pitted with large craters and several fallen and shattered trees in the wake of the explosion. A glint of sunlight off of metal was the only warning he received before a thin needle embedded itself into his shoulder, and the blade in his hand rose quickly to deflect another pair of them as Ben reappeared beside him. The _Haste _spell,as well as his other enchantments, seemed to have worn off now, but he appeared unconcerned with recasting them as he charged Angel. Blades clashed once again, the ringing impact mixing with the fading sounds of falling debris and the ringing in Angel's ears from the explosion, and Angel threw Ben back once again using his unnatural strength in order to have a moment to recover. The Blade Knight skidded back, stumbling, but managed to keep his balance by using his blade to steady himself as he came to a stop.

"That's it!" Ben yelled, wiping some blood from the side of his mouth where it appeared he'd been nicked by a piece of flying debris. "Don't hold anything back! I don't want any excuses about how you weren't fighting to your fullest when I beat you into the ground!"

His free hand swiped out in a throwing motion, and knives materialized from thin air as he utilized his Alchemy to send the projectiles towards Angel, prefacing his charge with the ranged attack. Red fire burst around him again as he refreshed his _Haste _enchantment, and he charged back into the fray as Angel blew the knives away with a gust of Wind-element magic, clearly ready for the second round.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Palace of Creation]

* * *

'_Things seem to be a bit…tenser here than usual,'_ Katanas thought to himself, quickly making his way through the halls of the Palace of Creation. Normally, those who guarded the Upper Court were wary, yet restrained in their guard duties; Planeswalkers were especially able to command respect even among the _Erudite _who guarded the sacred center of the plane. Katanas' appearance in the palace courtyard this time, however, had been met by an entire squad of _Erudite _guards from the Ethereal Knights, brandishing polearms, heavy broadswords and claymores, and thick shields to go along with full plate armor. After a few seconds of realizing the nature and identity of the intruder, the guards relented and granted him access to the palace, but it had left him wondering of the exact state of affairs within the Ethereal Plane at the present time. His duties on the mortal plane had kept him from staying current with the affairs in the higher planes, and he absently thought to himself that he may have to set Ein on that task once he returned from his business here. He had left the young boy in charge of his duties at Garden for the time being; he had every reason to believe that Ein could handle things for an hour or so while he took care of business.

This was good, because if Angel's reaction was any indication, he needed to find Destine posthaste. He didn't have a clear picture of exactly what had happened, but he had suspicions – suspicions that were similar to Angel's own, it seemed – and the only way to confirm them would be to find Destine. Normally, he wouldn't bother going to the Creator directly, but this situation required a certain measure of expedience, and he felt that it warranted the direct approach enough that Lady Freya would understand his concern.

As he approached the doorway that was the entrance to Freya's inner chamber, he noticed that there were no less than six guards standing watch at the doors – three to either side – instead of the normal two. Four of these were garbed similarly to the group that had met him outside, heavy plate armor and thick greatswords or polearms, while the remaining two were dressed in the robes of the Ethereal Magi with dark purple sashes – Prelates, a single step below the Praetors of the order. Two immediately stepped in front of the doors, crossing their polearms over the entrance, while the other four stepped forward, the two remaining members of the Ethereal Knights defending both the chamber doors and the members of the Ethereal Magi.

"State your business," one _Erudite _rumbled, his voice carrying throughout the hallway as he watched Katanas.

"My name is Katanas DeValle. I must speak with Lady Freya, immediately," Katanas replied, making no motion to advance until he had been cleared to do so. "It is a matter of urgency, regarding one of her Planeswalkers."

The lead guard paused momentarily; Katanas DeValle wasn't known to them by face, but by reputation as a Planeswalker of the Nether Plane. That alone would give him clearance to speak with Freya as a representative of another plane. The lead guard asked nothing further, only nodding and turning back to his fellows, gesturing for the two nearest the doors to open them. Wordlessly, they did so, opening the grand doors before stepping inside and moving to each side of the entryway, while the four outside moved aside to allow Katanas to enter. He nodded courteously towards the assembled guards, stepping inside without any further pleasantries; as he did, he noticed that two of the guards were staying inside the chamber as well, something else that did not normally happen. Freya did not object to such an action, he knew, but it was rare that the guards felt as if they needed to remain within her chamber themselves.

"Sir DeValle," Freya intoned, offering a curt nod of greeting towards the Planeswalker as he entered. "What is the reason for your visit?"

"I must speak with Destine, milady," Katanas said, wasting no time in moving straight to the matter at hand. He did not bow, and hoped that Freya saw it not as a sign of disrespect, but as a sign of the urgency he felt. "As I told your guards, it is a matter of urgency regarding one of your Planeswalkers."

* * *

A flurry of knives were scattered into a cloud of flying metal as Angel's weapon smashed into each of them in turn, sending them wildly off-target to land around the area to no effect. Ben's blade followed up the attack, striking out with a curved wave of red energy that forced Angel to dive out of the way, only to meet with a hail of needles this time that broke his guard and lanced into his flesh at various points in his upper body. White energy washed over him in response as he quickly removed two of the needles, healing up some of the wounds and leaving a regenerating enchantment on him that helped to continue restoring his energy. As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling pressured – most of the time, he relied on nothing more than his great amounts of experience and basic sword fighting techniques, along with his Planeswalking, to dispatch enemies.

Ben hadn't given him the luxury of being able to keep the fight in melee range, nor make it a simple clash of blades; he had kept up a _Haste _enchantment on himself constantly, and was flinging magic and alchemized knives and needles every chance he had, keeping Angel at mid-range and letting distance do the work of wearing him down. Normally, his Planeswalking would allow him to close the gap and keep the fight in close-quarters, but the fact that his opponent was _also _a Planeswalker negated any advantage that normally offered him. Still, even in close combat, Ben was using every special technique at his disposal to turn the tables, and Angel found himself with little choice but to match magic with magic of his own.

He'd thrown up a _Protect _enchantment over himself before wading back into the fight, watching with satisfaction as a series of thrown knives simply deflected away before a cross of light appeared on the ground underneath Ben, exploding with Holy energy that burned away at the Blade Knight's body and forced him to give Angel a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, while the attack had done a good amount of damage and left his opponent dazed for several seconds, it had also made him decide to get serious and use both of his blades instead of just one. That, Angel realized now, was something he wasn't enjoying in the least.

A strike from the blade in Ben's left hand met the Atma Weapon, and Angel pushed the blade back to break the lock just in time to deflect a sweeping slash from the right-hand blade, and then twist aside from a follow-up stab of the left blade again. Red energy built up around Ben's right-hand blade, and he sliced down only to have Angel parry the attack and then sweep his sword up, sending his own blade violently upward as the Atma Weapon tore across his chest and shoved him back with the force. A ragged, bleeding wound was left stretching from the middle of his chest up to one shoulder, and he backed up for a moment to get back out of melee range as his _Haste _wore off yet again. Silently, Ben cursed the fact that he wasn't better with enhancing magic; his enchanting spells only lasted a very brief time, forcing him to use more and more of his mana to recast them that he could otherwise use for offensive techniques.

"Give up," Angel said, ignoring the stinging that the needles had caused as his _Regen _magic worked to heal up some of his wounds. "You're in over your head."

"Funny," he grunted, a slow smile creeping across his face as he retook his stance, "I was about to tell you the same thing."

Angel realized the meaning of the yellow aura that suddenly burst around Ben's body around the same time the Blade Knight appeared in front of him, sparks of electricity crackling across the metal blade of his sword. The first slash was too fast for him to block, tearing down the left side of his body close to the shoulder and causing his entire body to spasm from the electrical energy, but he managed to get his blade up enough to at least lessen the impact of the following rising slash that struck him. His sword moved upwards with the blow, his guard broken by the force of the strike and the convulsing of his own muscles, and opportunity flashed in Ben's eyes. Quickly, Ben's blade came down to a horizontal position, and he fluidly spun before cutting across Angel's chest with the electrified blade, tearing open another wound there and causing Angel to stagger. A countering strike came from the _Vayash Moru_, but it was weak and unsteady because of his twitching muscles, and Ben didn't even attempt to block it – both swords returned to their sheathes as he jumped back, the energy of his _Overdrive _wearing off, and he fought down the feeling of weakness that sank over him as his transmutation circle glowed.

Angel's eyes widened in surprise, and a beam of frigid energy blasted into his body as Ben let the Alchemy technique fly, blowing him across the battle-scarred concourse. He smashed into the ground seconds later, the glittering ice that had covered his torso from the attack shattering into shards of frost that scattered around him as he landed. He coughed and shook his head, trying to pull air back into his lungs and wincing as the motion sent a wave of pain through his battered chest.

"It's over."

Angel looked up just in time to see a shard of wood from a broken table dive straight for his chest.

* * *

The doors to Freya's throne room opened again, letting the figure of the Pillar of Destiny walk inside quietly, passing the two guards flanking the doorway as she moved. Much like Katanas, she offered no bow to Freya, also foregoing any kind of acknowledgement besides a faint nod towards her 'mother.' The look on her face was unusually solemn, as if she already knew the reason why she'd been called to the throne room.

"Destine," Katanas said, the simple word his only manner of greeting the _Erudite. _"I'll waste no time here – what did you do with the _Daiesthai?_"

"Manes?"

Katanas nodded in reply, keeping his own expression carefully neutral. Behind him, Freya watched her daughter with quiet interest.

"I…disposed of him."

* * *

_(End: The Messenger – Your Favorite Enemies, Dissidia: Final Fantasy; Play: Power to Strive – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack IV)_

Angel's eyes widened as he watched the improvised stake stab down towards his heart, and he snapped a hand up to clamp around Ben's wrist with an iron grip, instantly arresting the momentum of his thrust. There was no doubt now in his mind that Ben was willing to kill him, and he knew that if he was going to win, he had to be willing to do the same.

"Not today," he grunted, pushing back and throwing Ben off-balance for the second that he needed to grab the Atma Weapon and spring back to his feet. His lunge this time was calculated and accurate, diving forward and stabbing into Ben's right shoulder before the younger Planeswalker could react. Surprised, Ben dropped the shard of wood he'd picked up before being forced to Planeswalk away as the Atma Weapon sliced through the spot he'd been standing. Silently, he took a chance to assess their relative conditions, now that Angel was back on his feet.

He was tired, as much as it killed him to admit it, and he could feel his breath coming quickly as he stood idle. The slashing wound across his chest and left shoulder was still bleeding, though not as badly as it could have been thanks to his junctions, and the stab wound in his right shoulder made it hard to move that arm and hand now. He was also quite low on mana, thanks to all the recasting of _Haste _spells and constant use of alchemized throwing weaponry.

As bad as he felt, however, he thought that Angel felt worse. The _Vayash Moru _had taken two painful-looking blows from the _Overdrive _that he had used, along with a multitude of slices and puncture wounds from the knives and needles he'd been peppering Angel with the entire fight. He still looked a bit unsteady from the electrical energy he'd been hit with, and the near point-blank Alchemy technique he'd been hit with had to have done a lot of damage.

Overall, he figured that he was still in better shape than his opponent, and keeping up the pressure for a bit longer would give him a chance to end it for good.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm his hurried breathing, he quickly drew both swords and leapt back into battle with a yell, rushing at Angel and leading with a flurry of slashes. His right arm impaired the speed of his strikes somewhat, but it was still enough to force Angel backwards in another defensive posture as his two blades crashed against the Atma Weapon. A vertical strike cleaved only air as Angel stepped aside, meeting the accompanying slice with his cerulean blade, and he quickly drew the weapon back as he prepared to stab out again while Angel's blade was tied up.

"You haven't done half-bad," Angel grunted, shoving the blade aside to break the lock before parrying the following stab, "but I think you're forgetting something."

"And what would that be?" Ben asked, casting a _Blizzard _spell through his blade that shattered as Angel cleaved it in twain with the Atma Weapon.

Angel's face hardened, taking on a menacing look as his appearance shifted from the normal human face he usually wore to the face of the _Vayash Moru _he truly was.

"Compared to me? You're still just a rookie, _junior_."

Then Angel was on the attack, lashing out with a strike powerful enough to cause Ben's entire left arm to go weak as he blocked it. His foot lashed out in a straight kick that hurled Ben back and off his feet, and he covered most of the intervening distance in just a few steps as Ben tried to recover. A burst of icicles suddenly sprouted in front of him, materializing from the ground and rising up in an attempt to spear him, but he leapt up and over them to land on the other side of Ben, bringing the blade down again to be blocked by the pair of blades in the younger boy's hands.

Energy suddenly laced across one of Ben's blades, and Angel drove his blade down with as much force as he could muster, throwing the shimmering weapon down and aside to release its attack into the ground instead, adding another divot to the already cratered area. Ben tried to raise his other sword to attack again, but Angel simply rammed him with a shoulder, ignoring that the blade sliced his flesh as the bodily attack threw Ben from his feet again.

"I know what's happened to you, Ben, and I'm going to find a way to fix it."

At the words, Ben, or the being _in _Ben felt tremendous satisfaction, almost as if he had been waiting for Angel to utter those words. He forced that joy back and tried to bring himself to his feet, but he knew the truth. This body had been pushed to its limits.

Angel focused, gripping the Atma Weapon tightly as he reached inside himself and took hold of the feelings of pain, anger, and the overwhelming feeling of failure that was permeating his mind.

"Which is why I hate to do this."

Amber light burst around Angel suddenly as he held the Atma Weapon high, watching as Ben got back to his feet and seemed to grow a shade paler at the sight. Power started to flow from Angel as he unleashed the energy contained within his _Limit, _bathing the entire area in shadow tinged with a dull, blood-red light. It coalesced into a tunnel of the same red light streaked with lines of dark energy, leaving Ben alone inside the newly-formed area as Angel's body vanished from sight within the haze of magic. Wary, the Blade Knight kept both of his swords in a guarded position, wondering exactly what the nature of the attack was going to be.

A scream suddenly echoed inside the tunnel, and a hazy spirit floated into view, its features indiscernible and covered in a veil of magical energy. Instinctively, Ben sliced out at it with one blade, only to have the spirit wail again as the blade passed straight through and then slice back at him with one hand. The spirit's attack didn't cut flesh, but Ben felt pain all the same as the incorporeal entity's hand passed through him before it vanished without a trace. More screaming started just as the spirit vanished, and Ben could suddenly see more spirits forming out of the ether and converging on him. For an instant, he panicked, blasting away at the beings with bursts of ice and whatever magic came to hand, but none of it had any effect as the spirits sliced, clawed, and delivered bursts of magic of their own. He cried out, stumbling as the intangible assault tore at him, only to find himself stopped and then _lifted _as the spirits began to merge into a single massive form. A pair of wraith-like hands surrounded his body, squeezing tightly and crushing him with pure magical essence for several agonizing seconds before it released him with a roar, the entire environment melting away in a wash of energy that bit at him a final time before dropping him back to the hard ground of Trabia Garden's front concourse.

_(End: Power to Strive – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack IV)_

Angel felt a momentary pang of remorse as he approached, but quickly stifled it – he knew what he needed to do, and he couldn't afford to be stopped by guilt.

Ben was lying face down on the ground, feeling for all the world as if he'd been hit by a speeding train. The wound running to his left shoulder had been aggravated again and was bleeding more freely now, but he still managed something halfway between a cough and a laugh as Angel approached. Both his swords were still within reach, but he didn't feel like he had the strength to grab them.

"Would you…really kill your friend?" he asked, looking up at Angel from the ground. Angel reached down, grabbing Ben's shirt and hauling him to his feet to stare him straight in the eyes.

"Yes. I would."

The look on Ben's face turned to utter shock as Angel drove the Atma Weapon through his stomach in one fluid move.

* * *

Katanas' eyes narrowed faintly as he looked at Destine, her statement doing nothing to assuage his fears. If anything, it was only confirming them.

"How did you dispose of him?"

Katanas' question seemed to make Destine wither in place, unwilling to meet either his eyes or Freya's. The Creator watched calmly as Destine looked away, suddenly seeming incredibly shameful of something.

"I sealed him inside Ben."

* * *

The _Daiesthai _possessing Ben suddenly realized all at once that he really shouldn't have called Angel's bluff – now, he was left with a body that was losing its ability to sustain him much more quickly than he cared to have happen. It was a terrible loss to abandon the body of a Planeswalker, after everything he'd been through to have the opportunity, but it was preferable to dying, which was what was going to happen to him if he spent just a couple more minutes watching his host's blood pool on the ground. He knew that if he left, he would be in a greatly weakened state, both from the battle and the inherent limiters on beings other than _Hume _in the mortal plane, but still knew that he had little choice. Cursing mentally to himself, he focused his energy, preparing to reform his body outside of the confines of his host…

…and froze.

The look of absolute horror that came across Ben's face in the next instant nearly made Angel's stomach turn.

"What…did you do to me?" Manes demanded, choking on the blood in his host's mouth for a moment before weakly spitting onto the ground. Angel shook his head sorrowfully, readying magic in his hands as he put the Atma Weapon away, along with both of Ben's own blades.

"I didn't do anything to you," he said quietly, releasing a wave of magic over Ben's body that paralyzed him where he lay. He had taken a calculated risk, and found that he wasn't very fond of the results that he had gotten – Angel knew he wasn't much of a magic user, even less of a medic, and he now had two problems. First, he needed to inform Freya of what had happened; maybe there was something that she could do to reverse this. Second, Ben needed to be healed, and fast, before he ended up dying of blood loss. Fortunately for him, he knew, Freya could easily solve the second problem…provided he acted quickly.

Quickly and carefully, Angel hoisted Ben's body up and onto his shoulder, then stepped onto the Crystal Path, headed to the Palace of Creation.

* * *

Katanas resisted the urge to grimace at Destine's admission; it seemed that Angel had been correct in his assumption. Freya, however, was the first to speak as she stood from her throne, turning her focus to her daughter.

"You sealed a _Daiesthai _within my newest Planeswalker?" she asked, her voice stern and commanding. Destine nearly winced at the tone of Freya's voice, closing her eyes and refusing to meet her mother's gaze.

"I…wanted to get even with them," she said quietly. "Manes had failed me, and that mortal had used Will's power to stop me before I could do anything. I thought…that I could get back at both of them at once with what I did."

"By turning a Planeswalker into a demon?" Katanas asked, keeping his tone carefully level.

"I'm not proud of what I did, okay?" Destine snapped, glaring at Katanas. "I just…"

If Destine meant to complete her statement, she didn't get the chance as the doors to Freya's chamber opened once again, letting a battered Liam Bayloh move swiftly into the room with Ben's paralyzed form draped over his shoulder. Katanas could see that there was a trail of blood on the white tile floor leading into the room, and he quickly moved to help Angel with his charge.

"Things didn't go as planned, I take it?" he asked, taking a quick look at the hole in Ben's chest made by the Atma Weapon before helping to set Ben's body down on the ground.

"You could say that. I assume you and Ein will have quite a mess to clean up at Garden," Angel replied, grunting as he carefully slid Ben's weight from his shoulder. "I wish I'd been wrong…but this isn't the time for that." Quickly, he turned to Freya, sparing a quick glance at Destine that said volumes with just a brief meeting of eyes. "Can you help him?"

Wordlessly, Freya called up energies of healing from within her, and sent them cascading over both of her injured Planeswalkers. Angel breathed a sigh of relief as he watched both Ben's injuries and his own mend themselves rapidly; besides being rather pale from the loss of blood, it looked like Ben was going to be okay.

Physically, at least.

"You conniving, traitorous _bitch!_"

The fact that Manes had spoken was the first indication that Angel's paralysis magic had worn off. Realizing that his host was now healed, the _Daiesthai _leapt to his feet and whirled on Destine, his face twisted with absolute, undying rage.

"You promised me _power, _not an existence chained inside some weak _mortal's _mind!"

Angel and Katanas were both slow to react as Manes lunged at the Pillar of Destiny, too furious to bother with magic – he wanted to choke her to death with his bare hands, feel her life ebb away as he crushed her throat…

Destine made no move to defend herself, merely watching the possessed _Hume _advance on her with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

Freya gestured, whispering words underneath her breath, and a glowing sphere of pentagons and hexagons sprang into existence around Ben's body, suspending it in a field of stasis and cutting off the attack on Destine.

"Is there any way you can reverse this, milady?" Angel asked Freya, meeting her gaze again after a moment spent examining the field surrounding Ben.

"I do not know, Liam," Freya replied, a note of sadness in her voice. Even an _Ancient _such as she had her limits, and she knew that Ben would have been tainted by the essence of the _Daiesthai _within him. Reversing that taint, even for her, would be difficult to do, and would be dangerous for a mortal being.

"Mother, I –"

"I believe you have done enough," Freya told Destine sternly, her cold expression completely at odds with her normally-gentle and kind personality. "Leave us."

Destine flinched visibly at the look on the Creator's face, but did as ordered, moving towards the doors of the chamber without another word of protest. Angel watched her go, unsure of how to feel, until she was out of sight and the doors to the room were closed once again.

"I understand, milady," Angel said in reply to Freya's statement. "May I speak freely?"

"You may."

"If you can't reverse this, then we need to make sure that he has everything he needs in order to work through and beat this," Angel said, his voice solemn. "Because, if we don't? We're going to have another _Scourge _on our hands."

* * *

Well. Bad news all around, it seems.

This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest chapters I've written for this story yet, despite the content being rather simple. I took great care to try and make everything in the chapter flow well, describe things with clarity, and above all, be logical and believable. The fight itself was one of diametric opposites, really boiling down to a "power vs. speed" battle - Angel isn't slow, but he's still slower than Ben; conversely, Angel also packs a great deal more power into each strike than Ben does. _Liberi Fatali _was also the only title for this chapter in my mind, as well, being both a fitting reference to the events therein as well as a fun callback all the way back to chapter _six._

I really don't have much more to say, except that we're getting close to the end of this arc, as well as the first book as a whole. As always, please read and review.


	60. I, IV, XI: Angels and Demons

It took me far longer to write this than I expected, but it also became far longer than I intended - I suppose it balances out in some form.

Begin!_  


* * *

_

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter XI—Angels and Demons_

_

* * *

_

[Soul Society, Seireitei, South Gate]

* * *

Odin was not one to feel fear. He was, after all, the leader of the Ethereal Knights. He was a paragon of every virtue the Ethereal Plane prized. He stood as an example to all within of what could be attained; of discipline, of the pride and honor that would be achieved should one's course be stayed. Now, however, Odin could honestly and truly say he felt fear, though not any fear related to combat or the threat of death.

Odin felt fear for an entirely different reason – his surroundings. For Arragious and himself, he realized, were no longer in the Ethereal Plane which they had occupied moments before, but in Soul Society, where the Lord Sovereign held court. In and of itself, that was not a terrible occurrence, as the Lord Sovereign held no ill will towards either being. Odin was one of Freya's top advisers and one of the most respected individuals within the whole of the Ethereal Plane, while Arragious was still well-regarded as a brilliant mind and combatant by the Lord Sovereign – the matters in the Ethereal Plane, Byakuya had once stated, had no bearing on Arragious' worth as an individual. He had even once considered asking Arragious to lead the newly-reformed Grim Angels, but had dismissed the idea after much discussion with his closest adviser, Cierra Olivier.

No, the problem was specifically what the surroundings themselves represented. Soul Society was broken up into two major segments, each of which reflected in some form the other two major planes of the realm. The majority of the populace lived in an area called Rukongai, an area mirrored by the Lower Court of the Ethereal Plane. Made up of stone streets, wooden buildings, and expansive forests scattered throughout the districts, Rukongai had a vastly different appearance than the core of Soul Society that it surrounded. Where the Lower Court was clean and generally lawful, however, Rukongai was only that way close to the center of government; the further away one moved, the more destitute and lawless the streets became.

This was, indirectly, a result of Soul Society's neutrality; it had by far the smallest peacekeeping force, consisting of only the Order of Grim Angels. The force that existed prior to the Order's instating had been effectively subsumed by the _Malakh_-created division, but even that left the group's strength far below that of the other two planes. Combined with the area of space that Rukongai took up, it left the policing of the populace far below levels that would ensure obedience and authority.

The center of government and home of Soul Society's peacekeeping force, however, was an area known as Seireitei. It looked the part, enclosed by a massive, circular wall and four towering gates designed to repel attacks formed from spiritual energy of all kinds; even the border of Seireitei was an imposing sight as well as a symbol of what lay within. Souls that resided in Rukongai, particularly in the more lawless districts further from the walls, often dreamed of being a resident of the sacred inner sector. Some were even chosen to become members of the Order of Grim Angels; as the _Malakh _race was effectively no more sans the few remaining members who had survived and fled the Ethereal Plane, some of the _Quincy _that inhabited Soul Society who had particularly high levels of spiritual power were chosen as new members of the Order. Where Rukongai was dingy and anarchic, however, Seireitei was pristine and carefully policed by the Order of Grim Angels, guarded as carefully and stoically as any great treasure of the ages would be. Lofty wooden buildings with ornate carvings and carefully-constructed roofs joined with exquisite stone statues and buildings to create a grandiose and elegant feel that compared with the smooth and exotic stone and crystalline buildings of the Ethereal Plane's Upper Court.

If the two of them had been in Rukongai, Odin knew, the potential for trouble would have still existed, but it would have been much less. Lord Sovereign Kuchiki cared equally about all parts of his plane, but even he would feel that it would be better to have such a conflict happen in the areas of Rukongai, which held greater areas of open and uninhabited land.

However, they were in Seireitei, which presented much more risk for two main reasons. First, the Order of Grim Angels would almost certainly be dispatched to handle the disturbance, which could do more harm than good in the short-term. Second, the Lord Sovereign would surely wish to know why one of the most powerful fighters in the Ethereal Plane and its most infamous exile were brawling inside the walls of his center of government. If this were the Overlord, even he would understand given the nature of their arrival – and the identity of the one responsible, but this was no time to dwell on _that_ particular point – but the Lord Sovereign was known for being particularly stubborn and unyielding concerning the safety of his plane, a safety which had most assuredly been compromised by their arrival.

All the more reason to end the fight quickly, Odin knew. Better to stop Arragious and his intentions of revenge here than to let it draw on and put more at risk, not just from his own plane but Soul Society as well.

"You've forgotten your manners in your time away, Nicholai," Odin stated, resting one hand on the hilt of his powerful blade. "I would have expected you to know better than to cross your elders."

"If you believe that things are the same as when I was Captain-Commander, then you are a fool, Odin. I've changed much since those days."

Odin snorted, slowly pulling the massive weapon from its sheath and resting it on his shoulder. "Not enough, it would seem. Come, then, if you believe you are truly my equal!"

_(Play: Hunter's Chance (Final Fantasy IX) – Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui; The Black Mages II: The Skies Above)_

Odin didn't wait for a response from Arragious, instead leaping forward into a charge at his former subordinate before anything further could be said. Arragious' mesmeric blade rose to block the charge, and Odin's curved sword smashed into his block with a thundering crash that sent him skidding back as Odin pressed on. Feet scraped on stone as Arragious tried to keep his footing, but it took several seconds before he was able to counter Odin's momentum and match the Grand Master's advance. He threw Odin's blade high, going low in a strike with his own weapon as Zantetsuken sang just above his head, but the strike with the magical weapon skittered ineffectually off of Odin's thick plate armor. Unlike many in the Ethereal Magi and the former Gilead Order, Odin trained his troops to use heavy armor to augment their fighting prowess, using the armor as a weapon just as if it were their sword. Most all of the Ethereal Knights wore thick, heavy armor or carried massive shields into combat to facilitate this, and Odin's own armor was some of the finest ever crafted.

Arragious seemed to be briefly surprised by his inability to slice through the protective metal, and his surprise cost him as Odin's gauntleted fist smashed into his chest and hurled him away during his moment of pause. The strike would have ended the fight against lesser _Erudite_, but Arragious simply rolled with the crushing blow, coming up in a guarded position as Odin bore in again. Zantetsuken cleaved down, parried by Arragious' held blade as the second shot out from his clock, slicing towards Odin's only unprotected spot – his helmetless head. The Grand Master swatted the blade away as contemptuously as one would a fly, however, shattering the ground at Arragious' feet as the exile dove away to avoid the attack.

A burst of electrical power sprang from Arragious' hands as he rose a second time, slamming into Odin and the ground around him in a violent discharge of power that bought Arragious a moment to recover. Surely, he mused, electricity would be extremely effective due to the heavy metal plating that the Grand Master's armor was composed of. A deep, rumbling chuckle from Odin caught his attention as the dust cleared, and he straightened as Odin stepped out of the cloud unharmed, his armor showing little if any damage at all from the explosive blast.

"Come now, Nicholai," Odin began, stepping towards Arragious like a towering, black-clad juggernaut, "just who do you think I am? That tactic would be unlikely to work against even my greenest, let alone myself."

Arragious bit back a curse that threatened to escape. Of course the Grand Master had magically-bolstered his armor; logic dictated that the advantage it gave was far too large to pass up. Still, that one advantage would not be enough to –

Odin's bulk suddenly appeared in front of Arragious, moving much faster than someone in full plate armor was reasonably expected to move, and Arragious' eyes widened before another bone-crushing punch sent him flying into a nearby stone wall lining paths throughout Seireitei, instantly turning the construct into rubble and dust that billowed out into a large cloud.

"You speak of vengeance," Odin continued, watching the dust for any sign of Arragious. "You've fallen much further than I had expected, Nicholai. Working with _her_, slaying fellow _Erudite _in your rage that you fought and bled beside in the past…you're a disgrace to your former station."

Odin found his mind suddenly assaulted by waves of psychic energy as Arragious drew upon his mental abilities, hoping to strike at the Grand Master's presumed weakest point. As Odin's guard fell, Arragious leapt from the side with both blades raised and glowing with frigid blue energy, having cloaked himself with invisibility magic to escape from the cloud without Odin's notice. Two slashes found their marks on Odin's chest and side, coating the armor there with a thick covering of frost and ice as Odin realized Arragious' intent – if electricity couldn't affect the armor, he would simply use ice to try and erode its structure, making it brittle enough to damage. A faint trace of a smile graced Odin's lips, however, as he shrugged off the attack, slicing out at Arragious as he recovered and forcing him to retreat again lest he be caught by the powerful blade.

"For you to be using such tactics in a battle you sought out…it seems your time in isolation has numbed your sense of technique," Odin commented, amused by Arragious' attempts to damage his armor. "Very well, then. It would seem that I must first burn through this poor excuse for ambition before I can cool the fires of your revenge."

He raised Zantetsuken again, leveling the blade in Arragious' direction, and the curved sword burst into flame as he drew upon one of his few magical skills while preparing to attack once more. Arragious growled, but obligingly charged in again to meet Odin's challenge – if the _Erudite _wanted a swordfight, then he would get one. The invisible blades whistled through the air as Arragious took the offensive, unleashing a quick and intricate series of strikes with both swords that moved high, then low, and back to high. The flames around Odin's blade danced wildly as he defended, denying the smaller blades purchase time and time again. A rising slash turned into a sweep meant to slice Odin's neck open, but the Grand Master simply brought his blade close to his body to deflect it before countering with a quick vertical slice. It rang against Arragious' left hand blade as he blocked, the flames heating the exile's face uncomfortably with their proximity, and he drew back again as his block gave way under Odin's overwhelming strength.

"You cannot surpass me," Odin rumbled, looking at Arragious in the manner a disapproving father would his child. "I am the one who trained you all those centuries ago, after all. You are strong, but nothing I have seen of your prowess makes me believe that you can match my might."

"You presume much, Odin," Arragious objected, readying for another exchange.

"I do not _presume_, exile – I merely state a fact."

Some part of Arragious knew that Odin was right, that the armor-clad _Erudite _had more skill and power than even he could hope to match. Still, however, he would not simply back down; Odin stood in his way, and he would find a way to remove the obstacle, no matter what it took. Quickly, he channeled his energy as he readied his blades – he would need to strike swiftly and only once, with everything he had, if he was to have any hope of bringing down his former mentor. In a flash, he released all the gathered power at Odin's mind in a focused, direct burst, hoping to overload his senses for the instant he needed to land a fatal strike. The Grand Master jerked suddenly as if stricken, stumbling backwards and clutching at his forehead as his grip on Zantetsuken slackened. In that brief moment of weakness, Arragious lunged forward with the speed of a predatory animal, intent on finishing the fight with one blow.

Just as quickly, Odin straightened, shocking Arragious as his mesmeric blades met only the stern, unyielding metal of Zantetsuken. For an instant, Odin's blade shimmered with power, and a translucent wave of force rippled from it as he slashed out, the wave pushing Arragious into a nearby building and shattering the wall with the force. The entire building's frame shivered for several seconds from the shock of having Arragious' body propelled through it, creaking and groaning, before the entire structure began to fall, burying Arragious in a hazy pile of wood, stone, and dirt. Odin watched, waiting for any sign of movement beneath the rubble – he hadn't hit Arragious with enough force to kill, but it certainly had enough force behind it to wound, maybe even disable the _Erudite _enough to end the fight.

The Grand Master tensed as the rubble shifted, bits of wood and stone being turned aside from the peak bit by bit until Arragious' figure could once more be seen rising from the remains of the building. His dark cloak was marred by gouges and rips, and Odin could see the carefully-controlled wince of pain that flashed across his face as he moved. A wound on the side of his face leaked a trail of blood down his cheek, and a brief glimpse of his left arm as he dislodged himself from the debris revealed another wound, concealed by a piece of torn cloth that was part of his sleeve. For a moment, the only sound in the area was the sound of rock and wood being crushed under Arragious' boots.

_(End: Hunter's Chance (Final Fantasy IX) – Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui; The Black Mages II: The Skies Above)_

"Still as strong as ever," Arragious conceded, keeping a loose grip on the hilts of his blades – one of which, Odin noticed, had been broken halfway up the blade.

"My devotion to Lady Freya and the Ethereal Plane keeps my skills sharp," Odin replied. "The duty of my station demands no less."

"So it would seem."

"You can still surrender, Nicholai – atone for the crimes you have committed, while you still have the chance."

"Surrender?" Arragious asked, replacing his single intact blade into the folds of his cloak. "I cannot. I have come too far to give up on my ambitions."

"You mean _her _ambitions."

"That is irrelevant," Arragious said dismissively. "I no longer have a place within the Ethereal Plane, regardless of what drives me. I no longer seek approval from Freya, nor any of you – I have no need to face judgment from beings that I no longer belong among."

Odin's eyes narrowed – it seemed Arragious was no longer willing, even in part, to listen to reason. "You realize, then, that I _will_ take you in by force to see justice done."

"Perhaps another time," Arragious replied casually, turning away and glancing over his shoulder at Odin. "It seems we've overstayed our welcome in this plane."

Odin opened his mouth to remark upon Arragious' statement, but was too late as the Mesmer began to walk away, his form fading away into nothing before Odin's eyes. The _Erudite _found that he could do nothing but return his blade to its sheath, frustrated that his quarry had escaped him; Arragious was long gone from the entire plane, as he could no longer even sense the exile's energy in the vicinity. The exile, however, had hit home with his last statement – their stay in Soul Society was almost certainly unwelcome and likely much overstayed as well. Despite being Freya's adviser, Odin – and, by extension, Xeios – did not share the abilities that Planeswalkers held, leaving their only method of interplanar travel as the use of special planar gates, erected in each of the four planes of the realm for important individuals who lacked the abilities of planar travel to use, such as the Grim Angels or the Espada. Odin knew that the nearest such gate lay further inside Seireitei, near the beginnings of the grand estate which held the palace belonging to the Lord Sovereign. He turned, looking up long enough to orient himself in the direction he needed to travel, before beginning to walk down one of the streets among the buildings in the outer part of Seireitei.

A sudden, noticeable surge of energy gave him pause before he moved more than ten steps, however, and he heard the distinct sound of gusting wind as three individuals appeared in front of him, likely the three individuals he least wanted to encounter at the present moment.

Byakuya Kuchiki, the Lord Sovereign of Soul Society, stood mere feet from the Grand Master, flanked by a male and female on either side of him who were both garbed in the bright white _haori _of Captains within the Order of Grim Angels.

* * *

[Mindscape]

* * *

I've heard of the expression 'trapped in your own mind,' but until now, I never really realized how frustratingly literal that phrase could turn out to be.

Ever since last night, I've been forced to watch that…_thing…_traipse around in my body, taunting me, unable to so much as lift a finger or blink an eye of my own body. Seeing him stab Rikku and go after Yuna and Paine, then Angel…well, it was almost more than I could take. I cried, I screamed, I raged, but nothing I did seemed to do anything save make him taunt me more, which in turn only made me angrier. Eventually, he would grow bored and leave, only to come back for a whole new round. Sometimes, he'd try and break me physically, beating on me until the chains around my wrists were the only thing holding me upright at all. It feels a lot longer than the few hours that it's been, more like days, weeks even. The pain, too, is just as bad as if it was physically-inflicted, despite all of this being nothing but a manifestation of our respective minds and souls.

But I haven't broken yet.

The environment of my mind, however, is what can only be described as a mess. Coherency was lost a while ago, and all I can really make out clearly now is the shifting, blackened grass, the stone wall I've been chained to, and the swirling red and blue-colored sky. Sometimes, there's a bit more of the blue than red, other times it's the opposite, and I figured out not too long ago that it seems to reflect how I feel, how he feels, or both. Everything else is just a blurry, misshapen mess of color, and I can't seem to exert any kind of influence over any of it at all. It's hard to stay focused and hopeful with all the depressing scenery, but it's even harder to influence any of it now, and I'm feeling more and more like I'm losing control of my own mind, like I'm trying to keep a grasp on something nearly out of my fingertips.

"Comfortable? I'll have to change that if you say yes, of course."

"Go screw yourself."

My reply is practically automatic as Manes' form fades back into view in front of me, appearing as if he'd just stepped out of a thick fog…which I can't help but notice seems to be forming around the area. The mindscape seems to be reacting to my thoughts again, but whether that's good or bad, I can't really say. The backhand that crashes into the side of my face and nearly slams my head back into the stone behind me, however, serves as more than enough to jar me from my thoughts as my vision explodes into stars and lines of pain.

"Still putting up a fight…pity. I'll have that beaten out of you soon enough, though. We've got all the time in the world in here."

"Just try it," I cough, struggling to refocus my eyes. "When I get out of these chains –"

"You'll do what? Bleed on me?" Manes sneers, leaning in and coming nearly nose-to-nose with me. "You're still just a _Hume_. You can't even touch someone on my level."

My only response is a wad of bloody spit that smacks him right below the eye.

The look on his face is easily worth the crushing punch that smashes into my stomach a moment later, knocking the wind out of my lungs and causing me to cough up blood again as I go limp in the chains. Another shot to the head follows, this time a full-on punch, and my entire world explodes with pain as my head does hit stone this time. I'm only barely able to register the fact that Manes is even speaking, unable to make out any of the words for several agonizing seconds as I try to drag myself back to coherence again.

" – start by cutting up that pretty little ex-girlfriend of yours. Who knows where I'll stop…that summoner friend of yours, maybe that blond-haired classmate you've got feelings for…"

"…You…you won't…can't hurt them," I mumble, still halfway-incoherent. "Stop you…Freya'll do it…Katanas…"

"They can't keep me here forever," Manes states, a disturbing air of finality around the statement. "And they won't kill you, either, just to get rid of me. I've got plenty of time to find a way out."

"…They'll keep me locked up…if it means keeping you here."

"She was careless once, and she could easily be so again. Freya seems to be a fool of a leader – having her in control of an entire plane speaks volumes about the stupidity of the residents."

I can feel my teeth clench at the insult – insulting Freya is just like an insult against me, given my station.

"Shut up…you don't have any idea –"

"Any idea of what? How little she cares about her own plane, or the mortal plane? How she screwed up and started a war that lasted three centuries? Or how she made a terrible mistake by picking you to be her newest Planeswalker?"

The look on my face goes back to a more neutral one as he continues to sling insults around; if I keep getting angry, I'm just playing right into his hands. He wants me to get angry to make things easier on him, and I have no intention of falling for it. Suffering a few insults against my person is a small price to pay for a couple minutes to recover.

"You didn't last ten _seconds _the first time we fought. I took you out in one shot, for Hyne's sake! You had to get that vampire to fight your battle for you! You couldn't take on Destine without help from Will, and you couldn't even take me on at the same time – you had to get another annoying mortal to do _that!_" he yells, keeping that infuriating sneer on his face the entire time. "Honestly, I can't see why Freya bothered picking a weak _Hume _like you to represent her plane. You're just going to get killed in the near future anyway – may as well let me take over, and spare you the trouble of dying in an even more embarrassing fashion."

"Like you're any better," I mutter, trying to keep my expression calm despite the anger I can feel bubbling up inside me. "You can't do anything but pick on someone helpless and throw insults around – Rubedo _trashed _you here in the Ethereal Plane, or did you already forget that?"

"At least he landed a hit," Manes comments casually, turning away. "At least he made an effort. All you did was drop like a rock when I almost cut you in half. Barely even tried to fight – you just crumpled like the cowardly, useless son of a bitch that you are."

All of a sudden, everything for me starts to just melt away – pain, fatigue, and my tenuous grip on calm are all swallowed up by the sea of anger that starts to flood my mind. My teeth clench again, and I can feel the air around me start to drop in temperature even as my face flushes hotly in rage.

"_What _did you just call me?" I growl, glaring hard enough at the demon in front of me to cut him in half with the look.

"You heard me," he replies, spinning and leaning in again. "Or do I have to say it again to get the point across?"

The shattering of my manacles seems to echo like a gunshot in the vast expanse of nothingness, torn apart by a rapid freezing courtesy of the Alchemy that the demon in front of me so very conveniently forgot to do anything about. It seems that he didn't expect me to do anything like this, either, and so the look on his face as he's forced to flash away or get speared like a fish by an icicle that explodes from the ground is incredibly satisfying.

"You don't have to say _another word,_" I spit, snapping my hand out and clenching my teeth as my blade materializes in it as if by magic…which, given that it happened because of my will, could be rather close to the truth. "And you won't, either, when I'm done ripping your throat apart with this blade of mine."

When I went to Spira, I know that I had a bit of a temper – I still do, and I've always chalked that up to being young and a tiny bit reckless on occasion. I like to think that SeeD training did a lot for me, teaching me to be logical no matter the situation and to always keep my calm, but…I know that isn't quite the case. I still have a few sore spots, and he just hit the one that cuts the deepest to me.

Now that he's done it, I'd rather die than give up and admit defeat – I still have my pride, and I'm not going to let a demon trample on my family.

_(Play: chAngE – miwa, Bleach OP12 Single - chAngE)_

"You already tried once, and you _failed_," Manes says, smirking towards me from some distance away. "What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Simple," I say, dropping into a stance with my left arm out in front of me and my blade back and to my side. "This time, I've got something to fight for…something that means more to me than anything else in the world. You'll never be able to understand that."

"That won't make a difference," he retorts, scoffing. "Allow me to show you the difference in our levels, since you failed to grasp it the first time."

I don't bother responding to the taunt this time, instead simply breaking into a full sprint towards the demon in front of me as he lets loose a wave of fire in my direction. A quick, focused blast of water eliminates the flames directly in my path and allows me to charge straight through the wall before leaping at Manes, bringing the blade down before he can react and grab his own sword at his waist. Just like the first time I struck him back at Esthar, however, the blade does little but glance off ineffectually, as if I'd slashed stone instead of flesh. Manes' fist strikes my chest as I recover from my non-damaging blow, knocking me off my feet and sending me hurtling through the air for a moment to roll across the ground, stunned but mostly uninjured. My right hand touches the ground as I momentarily let go of my blade, and the moisture in the air suddenly condenses into a series of icicles around me that fly towards the demon like icy bullets, prompting him to unleash a quick flurry of blows to shatter the shards before they impale him.

"Didn't you learn the first time? Your blade can't cut me!"

A sudden flash of magic around me causes me to pause as I stand again, and I realize that a series of black, star-shaped symbols are circling around me now, apparently to no effect.

_'Delayed effect...no clue what'll set it off, either...'_

I don't want to be the target of some surprise curse cast on me, but I also don't intend to sit back and wait for him to wear me down - I've taken enough pain from this _Daiesthai_, and it's high time I started giving some back. A quick casting of _Haste _magic envelops my body, and another quick series of steps brings me back to melee range as my blade glows with power, releasing an icy burst into the demon as my sword smashes into his own blade, now drawn from its sheath. Even with _Haste_, Manes seems fully capable of keeping up with me and then some, taking every strike I can deliver and seeming to undermine them before they've even really begun. It only makes me angrier, knowing that I'm being shown up in a place that I should have full control over, and my blade keeps striking out again and again in an attempt to at least inflict some kind of damage on the hardy, sneering demon. Finally, Manes is just a hair slow on blocking one of my strikes, and my blade sneaks through to scrape across his body - again, however, to no real effect other than the satisfaction of breaking his guard.

The black shapes around my body suddenly vanish in a flash of energy the moment my strike connects, burning me with a sharp spear of pain, and my momentary flinch is all the opportunity the _Daiesthai _needs to cut upwards, slicing a line upwards across my chest that sends a fine mist of blood into the air.

"First blood is mine," he says, grinning madly at me as I step back to regain my wits. "I look forward to spilling more...a lot more."

"First and last," I mutter, realizing with a sudden stab of fear that my vision is also clouding over, the apparent result of _Blind _magic encased within the cursing technique Manes used. A quick cast of _Esuna _begins restoring my vision, though, and I take a deep breath before readying myself for another attempt. A volley of knives fly from my hands as I move left, enchanted with electrical energies, and I begin my charge back into melee ranged even as I see the knives deflected to no real effect. My sword is back in my hand in a flash, leading my charge with a vicious series of cuts and slices. Annoyingly, the _Daiesthai _doesn't really seem to be trying, lazily moving his blade into the exact position to counter or block each of my strikes with ease.

"Is this the best you can do?" he taunts, slapping my sword away with his free hand. "What happened to vengeance?"

"Keep talking," I growl, chaining a vertical slice into a rising diagonal cut with a quick reverse of momentum. "I'm gonna wipe that smug grin off your face before I'm finished."

"Let's see you try," he laughs, parrying another strike. "Or better yet, just hurry up and _die!_"

His blade flashes out suddenly, the _Daiesthai _still cackling in anticipation of his easy victory…before he stops, gazing down to see why his blade has stopped moving instead of cutting into flesh.

My left hand now holds my other blade, blocking his horizontal strike – the same strike that crippled me in Esthar – from connecting with my body.

"What?"

"Did you forget where we are _already?_" I ask, letting a mocking smile of my own slide across my face. "This is _my _mind you're in, demon, and physical prowess isn't all that matters here. My mind works _very_ fast…so let's see how you do when you don't have a speed advantage to work with!"

Manes' only response is to cast another curse upon me, this time one with triangular glyphs of a dark blue color. Like the first, this one has no immediate effect, but this time I don't hesitate - the last one was apparently triggered when I struck him with my blade, so this one may be triggered by something other than that. As long as I stick with physical attacks, I reason, I should be safe from whatever the effect may be...unless, of course, he has multiple curses that trigger under the same conditions. Either way, the risk is worth it to me, and my left hand blade slices up and out as Manes moves his own weapon away. It doesn't hit anything but the air that it moves through, but Manes' dodge leaves him directly in the way of my other sword, which is already stabbing out towards his face - tough or not, I'm confident that impaling him in the skull will do some damage.

_'Got you!'_

A sudden sound, similar in nature to static, cuts through the air as Manes suddenly disappears from my vision, faster than my eyes are capable of tracking. I immediately stop, bringing my swords back to a defensive position as I look around for any sign of the demon that was in front of me just a second ago.

"It seems you're not fast enough to keep up with my _Sonido_," a voice says from above me, causing me to look up and see Manes standing in the air above me as if it were as solid as earth. "Pity."

'_Sonido, huh…must be that flashy movement he just used.'_

Another burst of static noise rips through the air before me, and my blades just manage to catch a strike before it dives into my chest. Quickly, I throw it aside and lunge out to counter, only to have him vanish again and a sudden pain burn across my back as a strike lands there. Frustrated, I spin and instinctively slice out with my swords again, but the sound repeats as my quarry evades yet again, followed by another stinging pain across my left side.

'_He's toying with me…the bastard's _toying _with me…!'_

"Such a shame," he comments, reappearing in front of me and starting to walk in my direction again. "I thought you would at least make this interesting, what with all the garbage escaping your mouth."

I don't say anything; rising to his taunts, no matter how much satisfaction the rebuttals might give me, isn't going to win me the fight. Instead, I take a deep breath, focusing my full attention on watching his every movement – his stride, the way he holds his blades, the subtlest movements of his body that I can pick out that could give me any knowledge of how he'll attack next. Without warning, he vanishes again, and my mind immediately seems to blare a warning as I realize that his blade is coming for my back yet again.

"…How…?"

I only realize that I had closed my eyes a second ago when I open them again, noticing also that the blade of my right-hand sword is tinged a bright red color. The _Daiesthai _is standing some distance away from me, a thin red line angrily crossing the white material of his coat and leaking droplets of crimson down the front. Quietly, I stand up from the crouch I seem to have found myself in, shaking drops of blood from my sword as I do.

"Let me spell it out to you, since you didn't get it the first time," I say calmly, setting a steely gaze on the demon. "This is _my _mind. Physical prowess isn't the only thing that matters here. Here, I'm a manifestation of my power, my speed, and my knowledge, but most of all…I represent my _will_. And as I'm sure you've now figured out, while my physical body couldn't cut you…"

I gesture to the wound across his chest with my blade, smirking as I do so, causing the demon's face to practically turn red with seething rage.

"…my _will _most certainly _can._"

"Fine," he hissed. "You seem to have come upon the belief that you can handle an outer plane being's real power. Let's find out just how much power you can handle before you _shatter._"

I suddenly have to steady myself as I feel my entire body start quivering, as if an invisible weight from the sky was pressing down on me and turning my muscles into masses of uncontrollably-shaking flesh. An incredible sense of power is starting to emanate from the _Daiesthai_, far more than I expected even in my most liberal guesses of his concealed power.

"Consume…Freza Amarga."

The outpouring of energy from Manes' form is nothing short of suffocating, and I find myself wondering briefly if Rubedo had to deal with this during his fight with the demon. I don't have time to wonder long, though, as Manes' form fades back into view from the haze of energy surrounding it. Instead of his white coat, his entire body is covered in some sort of white armor, almost like an insect carapace judging by the segmented appearance. His wrists are also sporting thick blades of the same material, replacing the sword he once carried, which makes me also wonder where the sword went – disappeared in the transformation? Used to fuel the transformation? Or does it even have anything to do with it at all?

"I hope you enjoy the sight of this form, because it's the last thing your pitiful mind will see before I kill you and take over for good," he states, standing tall again with the wound on his chest now healed. That sends a fresh wave of anger through me – I'm not going to lie down and die just because he showed off a bit more power.

"You misunderstand," I say, gritting my teeth, "I have no intention of dying today, especially not to someone like you. How do you feel about your own odds?"

"They're far better than yours, little _Hume_."

"Really?" I ask, reaching inside and focusing on power that I haven't bothered calling on in quite some time. "Then _let's find out._"

White, shimmering angel wings spread from my back as I release the energy I had been building, and the push of Manes' own power suddenly lessens dramatically as my magical energy climbs. A split-second of surprise passes across Manes' face, the momentary hesitation all the time I need to channel energy forth and send a fountain of energy cascading from beneath him in the form of a _Flare _spell. He vanishes again just as the flames erupt from below, reappearing above the column of fire and clenching his fists.

"Impudent –"

"Can it!" I yell, swiping my sword through the air. "I'm tired of listening to you talk – the next thing I cut is gonna be your _tongue._"

Wings flaring, I propel myself up and into another charge at the _Daiesthai_, intent on going back on the offensive and ending his unwelcome intrusion here and now.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation, Living Quarters]

* * *

"He is stable. That much, at least, is a good sign."

Kisara nodded briefly at Liam Bayloh, who stood in the doorway of the small room they were currently occupying, as she stepped away from the bed holding the fallen form of Freya's newest chosen. Kisara's specialty in magic was in the use of binding and restraining spells, and Freya had trusted her to keep watch over the Planeswalker until he recovered, confident that the Divine Magus could both restrain and, if needed, subdue the demon currently controlling Ben's body.

"I should've seen it sooner," Liam muttered, stepping further into the room. Kisara shook her head sadly, meeting Liam's gaze with a calm look of her own.

"This is no more your fault than it is his," she replied, gesturing to the bed. "You, of all people, know both how difficult it is for a mortal to resist the power of a _Daiesthai_, as well as to realize that someone is so afflicted."

Liam fought the urge to wince, remembering the decades of torment he'd once inflicted on the citizens of Dollet. "You're right."

"I am certain that Lady Freya would not want you to deride yourself over something that was clearly out of your control," Kisara continued, unwilling to let Liam blame himself for the unfortunate occurrence.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kisara sadly shook her head. "At the moment, no. All we can do is watch and hope."

Liam sighed; he'd expected such an answer, but that didn't mean that he liked hearing it. He took a seat in one of the chairs placed beside the bed as Kisara took the other, both focused on different parts of the same problem.

"What was it like?" Kisara suddenly asked, catching Liam off-guard for a moment before he realized the extent of her question. It was a question he didn't often answer; the last time he remembered doing so, he was talking with Katanas not long after he transferred to Trabia Garden. While Katanas hadn't been alive to witness the decades of fear driven into Dollet's populace, stories and rumors had been plentiful for many years since about the menace of the seaside town. Kisara, he knew, was no doubt old enough despite her young appearance to know, but had apparently never seen or heard of Liam's time as the _Scourge_.

"…A nightmare," Liam finally said. "Dollet was…_is_…a peaceful town. Every night, I went out, hunting innocent people for fun, for sport…for food. No one knew who was doing it for years, but even when they found out, they couldn't catch me. I was the story that fathers tell children who misbehave to scare them straight, but this was no spooky story from the imagination. I was real, and the worst part is…I enjoyed it. I lapped it up, always thirsting for more, always craving it in the depths of my soul. It took decades before someone was able to stop me, and when they finally did, when I came back to myself and realized what I'd done…there was a while where I didn't know if I would be able to live with myself."

It took Kisara a minute to digest the information, mostly because she hadn't expected Liam to be so forthcoming with his past. She expected that he would have been honest and complete with someone like Lady Freya, but she did not expect to receive the same with someone like herself.

"He could become one, you know," she continued softly. Liam nodded his head briefly, not saying a word. "If Destine worked her magic the way that Lady Freya believes, even if she can extract the _Daiesthai _from his mind, the process would make him a _Vayash Moru _at best…kill him at worst."

"He doesn't deserve that," Liam stated, finally meeting Kisara's eyes again. "No one deserves that."

Liam move to spoke further, but a spike in Ben's spiritual energy stopped the words in his throat. It wasn't anything that either he or Kisara hadn't felt before, but it was certainly impressive. The war that was being fought inside the Planeswalker's mind was intense…

…and it appeared that it was _for keeps._

_

* * *

_

Manes' new form, I've decided, is one of the most annoying – and dangerous – things I've ever fought in my life. Not only can he summon several other mantis-like creatures to fight alongside him, but he can also channel his magic through any of them at any time. If not for the increased resistance to magic that my _Angel Wing _skill affords me, I'd likely be in much worse shape right now. As it stands, I'm covered in burns from Fire and Dark-element magic, not to mention starting to feel drained of magic from the assorted enchantments and Alchemy I've been throwing around.

Manes, however, isn't in perfect condition himself. He has a similar wound across his chest to the one I originally gave him minutes ago – of all the things he expected me to have, _Vanish _magic was apparently not one of them, and that combined with my _Haste _let me get off one good shot in the aftermath of one of his flashier spells. The blade on his left wrist is also snapped off halfway down, courtesy of an Ice-elemental sword strike that shattered the chitin-like material.

I've also made him lose his cocky attitude, apparently – he seems to have started taking me seriously.

"It's not possible…" he mutters, flanked by two of his summoned creatures. "The will of a _Hume _should _not _be strong enough to keep up with an _Arrancar_! It's impossible!"

"Guess you didn't do your research," I remark, "because you wouldn't have made two fatal errors otherwise."

"And what might those be?" he spits. "I'm hardly beaten, fool!"

"First, you insulted my station and my patron. I wasn't chosen as a Planeswalker out of the blue – I know that now. Lady Freya chose me not because of my power, but because of my mind, because of the unconquerable will and tenacity that I have."

My stance solidifies as I finish speaking, and I bring my swords back to bear as Manes' two summoned creatures descend on me, arm blades raised and ready to strike. One swipe of my swords tears the head from one, dissolving it into nothing but wisps of magic, and a quick burst of _Blizzard _magic impales the other, shredding its torso and causing it to dissolve moments later.

"Second, however…you insulted my family. You cursed the one thing that I hold most precious, above everything else. You spit on that memory, and trampled on everything it means to me. That was the mistake that cost you your control, and I…"

Both swords snap out to my sides as my rage returns, my gaze centering firmly on the target of that hatred.

"…cannot…"

A bright yellow aura starts to flicker around me as I take hold of that anger, using it to fuel myself and focusing it all into a weapon at my disposal.

"…_forgive you!_"

Time seems to dilate for me as I dash forward, and even with Manes' enhanced speed and reflexes, he still appears to be moving slowly to me as my swords start trailing amber-colored energy. My first strike shatters Manes' remaining arm blade nearly at its point of origin on his wrist, and his shock at the power and speed behind my attack gives me all the chance I need to tear into him. A quick spin takes me to his side, and I open a wound there with a quick strike before moving behind him and repeating, slicing away at any and every point of weakness I can find in his new form with the overwhelming speed of my _Limit._ A full eight strikes hit before he gets enough of an opening to move away, but I follow without any hesitation, and the instant of recovery from his movementgives me a chance to run him through with my left hand blade.

"This is _my_ body…"

My blade comes free of his chest as the energy from my _Limit _starts to fade, and I quickly leap above him as I charge all the remaining energy into my right blade, causing it to gleam brightly with the same amber light before I release it all in a thunderous wave that decimates the area Manes is standing in.

"…and it's time you learned your place!"

My wings vanish from my body as I fall back to the ground, landing easily and dropping to one knee before bracing myself with one blade to keep myself from falling over. All at once, the pain and fatigue from all of the previous battering is starting to catch up with me, and it's all I can do to not fall on my face right now.

_(Play: chAngE – miwa, Bleach OP12 Single - chAngE)_

"Impossible…"

"You…keep using that word," I comment, finally getting a look at the demon as I catch my breath. "It's quite possible, and seems to have happened."

The first thing that surprises me is that Manes is still on his feet – he's now wearing the coat that he was originally wearing, however, so it seems that I at least knocked him out of whatever powered-up state he was utilizing. _Daiesthai _or not, it seems as if I did quite a bit of damage to him, as he doesn't seem to be fond of moving at present. A small pool of blood is starting to gather under him from several long cuts and gouges, some more serious than others, and part of his coat is altogether gone, rendering it shredded at the shoulder and missing the left sleeve entirely.

"This isn't over…!"

"It _is _over," I reply forcefully, concentrating – if I'm currently the stronger being, which seems to be the case, then I should be able to manipulate the area to my liking. Chains suddenly start to snake out of the ground, wrapping around Manes' legs and tying them together before beginning to do the same to his arms despite his struggles, pinning them to his sides as he yells futilely. A stone similar to the one he had bound me to earlier also starts to rise from the ground, turning aside the earth as it emerges, and more chains start to lash his entire body to the stone. "I'm back in control, and it's going to stay this way."

Tired of his raving, I cast a _Silence _spell over his body as I sit down on the grass, careful not to make the same mistake with him that he did with me. I feel terrible, but I'm sure that will pass in time – there's a great sense of relief, however, as I notice two simple things about my surroundings. Once again, the grass is green and the sky is blue, just as it should be.

All isn't yet right with the world, I realize as I watch the still-struggling _Daiesthai_…but it's a start.

* * *

It took me quite a while to write both these fight scenes in a way that I found likable. Angel's piece with Kisara, by comparison, came easily and rather quickly, despite being a piece with much greater possibilities for future elaboration. This chapter ended up being several pages longer than I intended, but to make it any shorter, I feel, would have rendered it something I wasn't comfortable with. As always, please read and review.


	61. I, IV, XII: Broken Bonds

Well. The delay...got away from me just a bit here, it seems. I really didn't mean for it to be nearly three months between updates; I've simply been working on some other projects of mine in the meantime, as well as working in general.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter XII—Broken Bonds_

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation, Living Quarters]

* * *

The swirling, shifting colors dancing in front of my eyes as I come back to consciousness serve only to rudely antagonize the headache that I'm already nursing, rather than to reassure me that I'm out of my mental landscape and back in the world of reality. Around me are unfamiliar surroundings – white walls, a simple bed that I'm currently occupying, and two figures…

"…Angel?"

"Take it easy," he says, turning away from the other occupant of the room to look at me. I can see the muscles in his body tense at my words, along with a careful look in my direction from the female sitting across from him. My brain, muddled as it is, takes a few seconds to make the connection between their tense and cautious natures and my awakening.

'_He thinks I'm…him…Manes.'_

"Angel, it's me," I say again, though I don't make a movement to do anything. At the moment, I don't know if he truly believes me, and for that matter, I don't know if _I _truly believe me either.

"I know."

I feel myself give the tiniest of nods, still in a bit of a daze, before I turn to the other occupant of the room. The sight of her bluish-white hair looks…familiar, almost, and I could swear I've seen her before at some point, but I can't remember her name…

Then it hits me – I have seen her before, back on Gaia. I still don't remember her name, but it's at least something.

"I remember you," I say, now fully recognizing where I know her from. "You were with Katanas that day that Fayt showed up."

"That is correct," she replies. "My name is Kisara, an Ethereal Mage under Lord Xeios. Lady Freya assigned me to assist Sir Bayloh in watching over you, given the circumstances."

The unspoken message in her words is clear, but I don't comment on it. "How long have I been out?" I ask instead, trying to get some idea of what time it may be despite the plane's apparent lack of need for such a thing.

"It's been a few hours," Angel remarks, taking a quick look at his GLD. "How do you feel?"

"…Strange," I reply, after a moment of contemplation. It feels like something inside of me is just subtly wrong, like the unnerving feeling that you get around something that makes you anxious or scared. "What happened to Shiva?" I ask, also realizing that I can no longer feel the presence of my Guardian Force.

"Removed, as a precaution. I thought it might get a little crowded in your mind with all those voices," Angel says with a smirk. He's obviously trying to make me feel better, but it's not having much of an effect so far.

'_**Simple-minded mortal.'**_

The voice suddenly echoing in my mind gives me pause, and I can see Angel and Kisara pause briefly at the look that crosses my face.

'_**You're just like him now, you know,' **_Manes says casually. _**'Pretty soon, I bet you'll be dead, and I'll have all the time in the world to use this body to my liking.'**_

'_How does having you locked in my mind make me like Angel, bastard?' _I ask, earning a rumbling chuckle from the demon.

'_**You truly **_**don't**_** know anything, it seems. Ask the Vayash Moru if you want to know…provided you can stomach the truth.'**_

"I believe Lady Freya wishes to speak with you, now that you have awoken," Kisara states, cutting me off before I can even open my mouth to speak – apparently, she noticed my lapse in attention. "She was rather concerned, I must say, upon realizing the extent of your situation."

It almost pains me to hear her even say the words – the last thing I want to do right now is face anyone, let alone Freya. I'd much rather just go hide myself away for as long as I can until I figure out how to deal with this, how to _fix_ this…but the logical part of my mind is telling me that if anyone could find some way to help, it would be Freya.

'_Or Destine,' _my mind whispers, bringing a fresh flash of anger along with the words. At this point, I'd rather die than ask Destine for anything; she'd probably just take the opportunity to do something even more horrific.

"Fine, then," I say, standing up from the bed. I'm relieved to see that I don't feel any kind of pain or see any kind of injuries, just a faint sense of fatigue; I had almost expected the wounds from my mental battle to translate physically.

"Sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," I reply curtly, maybe a bit more sharply than I really mean to. The anger I'm feeling right now seems so…strange, unsuppressed and brought on so quickly. Not entirely unwarranted, but it's not something I need to be focusing on right now – I should be focusing on how to get myself back to normal.

'_Are you influencing my feelings?' _I ask suddenly, frowning mentally. Manes merely scoffs, sounding equally irritated.

'_**I am not 'influencing' anything – you're merely feeling the barest instincts and emotions that we Arrancar hold within ourselves. I assure you that the influences from your pitiful mortal feelings of sympathy and kindness are far more of an irritation than the emotions you are touching.'**_

"Let's go, then," I mutter, trying to keep myself calm and composed. "I'd rather not lie around in bed all day."

* * *

Freya's chamber, when we arrive, is occupied by a few more people than I had expected to see. Besides the present and familiar figures of Lord Odin and Lord Xeios, I can also see Will sitting at a table within the room, along with a young woman with long dark hair that I don't recognize, wearing a white sleeveless dress and sandals. Both appear to be in the midst of a conversation with Lady Freya, who is seated at the head of the table instead of atop her throne, and I can hear bits and pieces of the conversation even as the chamber doors open before us.

"…sure that it will be needed?" Will asks, the first part of his question spoken out of earshot. "Admittedly, we have few options, however…"

"I do not mind," the woman cut in, looking over at Will. "It isn't a problem, not anymore."

"Then we shall have your aid, if required?" Freya asks, to which the woman nods her assent. "I offer my thanks, Lady Inihara. I know how this may affect you, given the events that transpired with your division during the war."

"I've put that behind me now," the woman – Lady Inihara – states. "If you require me to do this, it shall be done."

Freya smiles, then turns to the three of us, standing from her chair and then stepping out from behind the table. "It is good to see all of you again," she says as each of us bow before her. Kisara is the first to rise, with Angel and I following a moment after.

"I have brought your Planeswalkers, as requested," Kisara says. "Sir Powell awoke sooner than I expected…though, Sir Bayloh did state that such would happen."

"It seems that he was correct in his judgment," Freya replies, turning her gaze to me. "It is good to see you awake and yourself again, Sir Powell."

"Thank you, Lady Freya," I reply, nodding politely, "though, I wouldn't say I'm really 'myself' just yet…I still feel weird with this _Arrancar _poking around in my mind."

The Creator inclined her head in acknowledgment. "You are in control for the moment, it would seem – I am thankful for that much. Now, we must see what we can do to keep things as they should be."

"Have you devised a way to counter Destine's magic, milady?" Angel asks. For a second, I almost get my hopes up that Freya has a way to reverse this before I notice the calm, yet regretful look on her face.

"There is a way, but the consequences are less than favorable. Ultimately, this is Sir Powell's choice to make."

"…What do you mean?" I ask, feeling my hopes sink even as I ask the question.

"The magic that Destine crafted was very thorough," she explains. "The spell that bound Manes to you bound him completely, tying his life force to your own. As such, reversing it is a dangerous prospect, and I fear that it is impossible for it to simply make things as they were before. Lord Xeios and I have consulted, and though it would be possible for us to remove the demon from your mind, the process holds the chance of leaving you as no longer a _Hume, _but a _Vayash Moru _instead. In the worst case…there is also the chance that you both may die."

Almost immediately, a cold feeling seems to settle into my chest as I feel my hopes splinter and shatter at Freya's words. There's no way to think outside the box, to come up with a way to beat the system and make everyone happy. I'm never going to be anything close to normal ever again, no matter what happens. I can feel Manes' own displeasure at the situation as well, though his is more of a seething rage than my own disappointment and sorrow.

"…Become a _Vayash Moru_," I say quietly, looking at Angel. "How could removing Manes turn me into a _Vayash Moru_?"

Angel sighs a deep sigh at my question, as if he'd been expected me to ask it ever since I woke up. "A _Vayash Moru _is created when one of two things happens – either a _Daiesthai _possesses a _Hume _and keeps control of the body for a long enough period of time to effectively kill off the host's physical body, or simply possesses and then leaves a mortal body after a time. In both cases, if enough time passes, the _Daiesthai's _essence overwhelms the host, tainting them and altering their body."

"…I'm never going to be normal again, am I?" I ask after a moment, voicing the thought that's taken root in my mind. Silence is the only thing that greets me, giving me my answer through the absence of one. I'd put so much hope in the idea that Freya would be able to help, that she could magically undo what had been done, but it seems that even planar leaders have their limitations.

A tiny part of my mind is telling me that if I'd just stayed in Spira, or even gone back home, that none of this would have ever happened. Maybe the thoughts are right, too…maybe I should've quit while I was ahead, headed back home and enjoyed being with what's left of my family.

"Just…I need some time to think about this. About everything," I murmur, slowly turning and heading towards the doors of the chamber. I hear movement from behind me, and then a voice seconds later.

"Let him go," Freya says calmly. "He will return when he is ready."

My thoughts are too busy with other things to worry about the actions of the ones behind me. Because of Manes…

'_No, that's not right. Because of _Destine_,' _I ponder, _'I've lost…just about everything. I can't go back to Garden after what I did. I can't face my friends. I couldn't even go back home now without putting people in danger. I've lost my home, my friends…even my humanity.'_

The door shuts behind me as I keep walking, stepping into a Planeswalk without thinking to take me somewhere else, somewhere away from here. Just my luck that I finally find my reason for why I'm here and why I was chosen, but I had to sacrifice everything I am to do it.

* * *

[July 8, 2152 | Executive Outcomes, President's Office | 6:17 PM]

* * *

James Alnon sat at his desk, running through the data that had been discovered and decrypted from Vector's mainframe one final time as he awaited contact from the Headmaster of Trabia Garden in order to share his information. His mind raced as he looked over one particular fragment of data that had turned his expectations upside-down and made his stomach churn. Vector Industries was well-known for the myriad variety of projects they handled, but even as experimental projects went…this may have been taking things a bit too far.

* * *

_**Vector Industries**_

_**Date: 2150, September 16**_

_**Division: First Research and Development**_

_**Project Head: Aiva Furello**_

_**Security Level: Purple**_

_***The information within this document is the express property of Vector Industries and is not to be altered, copied, or printed without express permission from the acting Project Head. Failure to comply with this directive will result in immediate termination of employment and legal action at the discretion of company management. If found outside of the First Research and Development Division, this information is to be either returned to the division or destroyed if return is not possible for security and privacy purposes.***_

_**Project: KP-X 000000-1 Advanced Combat Gynoid, abbreviated name "KOS-MOS"**_

_**Subject: Physical Modifications of Subject Prior to Biomechanical Enhancement**_

_**The subject's physical abilities were, as expected, well above the normal recorded performance metrics for females in the age group of eighteen to twenty-four. This likely has everything to do with her background, the primary reason why she was chosen for this project. While the subject still has the project's mechanical augmentations to undergo before the project's final stages, some biological enhancement has already been undertaken to ensure that the subject is in peak health and physical readiness before the augmentations. Among those are modifications to enhance the strength of the subject's muscles and bones, treatments to help reduce the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles during physical activity, and treatments to enhance the subject's mental acuity in order to better deal with the increased sensory input and sharpness that the forthcoming mechanical augmentations will bestow.**_

* * *

The rest of the document, Alnon saw, dealt with the specifics of the biological modifications that had been done, little of which he actually understood – his background was in technological science, not biological science. He had several of the files printed out and on his desk along with the copy of the biological modifications document, and he had decided to scan over them while he waited for his communication with the Trabian Headmaster to be received. Next, and quite possibly the second-most disconcerting file in the list, was a file that detailed some of the weapon specifications that the gynoid in question – KOS-MOS – had been outfitted with. Any one of the weapons that Alnon had seen detailed were practical, yet very powerful; at least one would only work with an enhanced soldier such as KOS-MOS, or some of the cybernetically-enhanced soldiers within Esthar.

* * *

_**Vector Industries**_

_**Date: 2151, February 2**_

_**Division: First Research and Development**_

_**Project Head: Aiva Furello**_

_**Security Level: Purple**_

_***The information within this document is the express property of Vector Industries and is not to be altered, copied, or printed without express permission from the acting Project Head. Failure to comply with this directive will result in immediate termination of employment and legal action at the discretion of company management. If found outside of the First Research and Development Division, this information is to be either returned to the division or destroyed if return is not possible for security and privacy purposes.***_

_**Project: KP-X 000000-1 Advanced Combat Gynoid, abbreviated name "KOS-MOS"**_

_**Subject: Firearms and Armaments**_

_**KP-X possesses a wide range of armaments that allow for a high degree of efficiency and flexibility in battle situations. We designed the armaments with very little emphasis on portability, as none of the weapons were ever designed to be carried on-hand for great lengths of time – that problem was given a solution before we even began designing the weapons themselves. Primarily, KOS-MOS relies on a number of varied firearms of both projectile and energy variants. Among these are:**_

_**F-GSHOT – A chain gun composed of three rotating sets of three barrels each, arranged in a triangular formation. Currently, two have been constructed, and are capable of being wielded simultaneously if the situation requires.**_

_**R-BLADE – A straight blade made of adamantine that attaches to either of KOS-MOS' arms, allowing for melee combat if necessary. Currently the only melee weapon constructed.**_

_**R-CANNON – An energy-based beam cannon that is powered by KOS-MOS' internal power supply. Capable of both short bursts of fire or continuous fire; continuous fire can presently be sustained only for nine seconds before thermal buildup causes structural damage to the weapon.**_

_**At the moment, we are currently designing two additional energy weapons designed for more large-scale combat, in order to have a defense against vehicles such as tanks or gunships. Energy requirements have been a concern, but I feel as if we're making progress with bringing the requirements into reasonable levels. At present, I expect a working prototype of the first, project code "XB-SDEW-142," within the next two months.**_

_**Miyuki Itsumi**_

_**Division Head, Second Research and Development Division, Vector Industries**_

* * *

Energy weapons that would be wielded by a single human-sized combatant, yet capable of destroying tanks and aircraft? Alnon had felt a great deal of apprehension upon reading the file; it sounded almost similar to some of the capabilities that SeeD officials possessed with the use of Guardian Forces and paramagic. SeeD was currently a force capable of standing on par with any military in the known world, and Alnon wondered how it would change the world stage should Vector's design be added to one such military, or even SeeD itself.

And speaking of SeeD…

Alnon's gaze turned to the next file, and while that file was not the most upsetting of the files recovered, it had potential to be the most damning by far once the Garden Network became privy to its contents.

* * *

_**Garden Network – Galbadia Garden**_

_**Optical SeeD Interface and Real-time Instructional System**_

_**30**__**th**__** May, 2149**_

_**Intelligence Division – Psychological Profile**_

_**File #02-47286 **_

_**Subject: Geneave, Lindsey Silmeria**_

_**Age: 18**_

_**Lindsey Geneave is a remarkable individual in many aspects – she is quite gifted academically, a skilled SeeD both on and off the field of combat, and has an easily-approachable and polite personality. Multiple instructors have already vouched for her collected, friendly demeanor both in and out of classes within Garden; indeed, at least one desired her to be their student aide, though the request was turned down by Headmaster Martine. Her peers seem to think highly of her, according to those same instructors, and she has attained a degree of notability among her classmates for always being prepared, punctual, and alert no matter the situation.**_

_**Lindsey's major in Intelligence studies here at Galbadia is well-suited to her personality – she is polite, yet still retains an air of forcefulness to her words, unwilling to let go of an opportunity unless she is sure that she has obtained any relevant information. The open and cheerful portion of her personality makes people feel at ease, thereby rendering them more willing to speak with her and making her job easier. She has been described as "elegant, practical, and well-meaning" or similar by many people, and has no trouble fitting into any environment from an embroidery club to a wrestling team.**_

_**In combat, Lindsey's personality seems to be the exact opposite of her casual persona, with the exception of her tenacity – instead of being directed at information gathering, however, it is directed at subduing her enemies, typically by disarmament and subsequent incapacitation with the appropriated ordinance. Her comrades have described her as "unnerving" and "downright terrifying" on multiple occasions; this is believed to stem both from her combat tactics mentioned above, as well as her preference for heavy firearms and anti-armor weaponry in battle. Lindsey herself stated that "in combat, subtlety is best thrown to the wind."**_

_**Currently, she is romantically involved with Lieutenant Darius Edward DeValle, Jr.; see personnel file #03-51606.**_

_**Juliett Evaline Jureau**_

_**Psychological Examiner, Galbadia Garden Intelligence Division**_

* * *

Alnon had initially wondered what an excerpt from a Galbadia Garden personnel file was doing in Vector's files, but as he had read on, he had quickly discovered the meaning for such a thing…and had equally quickly realized that he wished he'd never known. The girl, Lindsey Geneave, had been selected to be the biological basis for the KP-X project, experimented on and transformed into a living weapon of what were, quite frankly, terrifying proportions. He'd seen the data from simulations run on KOS-MOS' combat potential, and the results horrified him. The gynoid was capable of combating entire divisions at a time, and quite possibly succeeding not through tactics, but through sheer brute force.

The sound of an incoming call at his desk jostled Alnon from his reading, and he quickly re-organized the spread papers into a neat stack before he opened the video feed, meeting the gaze of Darius DeValle, Sr. once again.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Alnon said, being the first to exchange pleasantries. "I'm glad that you could speak with me so early in the morning."

"Normally, I wouldn't, but I thought I'd make an exception this time, given your hard work on this matter," Senior remarked, offering a nod as greeting. "You have something to share?"

"I do," Alnon replied, "and what I've found is information that you may have both professional and personal interest in."

That caught Senior's attention almost immediately – information retrieved from Vector's mainframe that he had a personal stake in?

"Go on."

"I'll be transmitting some data to you in a moment – the first piece is a file that I would like you to take a look at immediately, if you would. The second is a compilation of all the data that was retrieved from Vector, now decrypted and categorized."

A quick button press later, and the first of the files had made its way directly to Senior's terminal. Quietly, the Headmaster opened the file and began reading it, turning his attention away from Alnon as he perused the data. Alnon caught the frown on Senior's face immediately as he looked at the file, presumably noticing the header lines, and his frown only deepened in the moments that followed as his eyes read over the words contained within the file.

"You found this with Vector's data?" he asked, his calm tone contrasting with the expression on his face. Alnon nodded.

"I assure you, I was just as surprised as you are now."

"Surprised is not the word I would use."

Again, Alnon nodded. "To be brief, Headmaster, the girl whose psychological profile you are now reading over was used as the basis for the KP-X project – she was turned into a living weapon, most likely against her will." Alnon reached towards his terminal again, quickly sending another file to Senior before bringing it up on his own screen, this one a newspaper obituary entry. "I did a little research when I saw that name – Lindsey Geneave died two years ago, on March eighteenth, 2150."

"You're going somewhere with this, I assume?" Senior asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I am. A file that I have here, detailing physical modifications done to Lindsey's body, is dated _September sixteenth, 2150._ I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this," Alnon stated.

Senior nodded, his mood souring even further. If the files were correct, if the data made sense and was accurate, then Lindsey Geneave hadn't died on that day…she'd been kidnapped by Vector Industries.

Worse, it was highly likely that someone of high rank within Galbadia Garden helped with that kidnapping. The Garden Network held itself to standards of security that were almost unparalleled; Vector's First Research and Development Division was one of the few who had informational security rivaling Garden. To find a Garden file on Vector's mainframe meant that someone had either stolen it, as his SeeD team had done to Vector, or that it had been given willingly. Either case was, as a whole, unacceptable.

Not to mention the fact that where there was one, there were likely more.

"Did you find any other Garden files in the data recovered from Vector?" Senior asked with a suddenly stern tone. Alnon shook his head; he'd expected more of an outburst when divulging that particular bit of information, truthfully.

"That was the only file recovered from the mainframe that had anything to do with Garden directly," Alnon assured the Headmaster. "I was rather shocked to see even the one, personally. If you prefer, I can make sure to scrub the aforementioned file from our data. I'd rather not have any hostilities from Garden, indirect or not."

Senior offered a curt nod, taking his fellow businessman up on his offer. "It would seem that Galbadia Garden has had a security breach, one that is possibly ongoing to this very day. You have my thanks for bringing this matter to my attention."

"Of course," Alnon replied. "SeeD is a force to change the world – it seems advantageous to make sure that the force remains strong."

A light tone sounded from Senior's terminal, signaling the completion of the data transfer and the secure placement of the files within the O.S.I.R.I.S. Network, Garden's main intranet. The O.S.I.R.I.S. Network, originally founded as an educational resource system at Balamb Garden, was expanded some years later to handle many other functions of the expanding Garden Network, including oversight of basic facility security systems and storage of personnel records, mission records, and other confidential information. It also acted as a sort of social network, allowing SeeD cadets and members from all three Gardens to connect with each other in a relaxed setting to chat, plan events, and generally keep in touch with other SeeD members around the world. Cid Kramer had been the one to suggest the idea initially, feeling that the stress of daily SeeD life needed something to balance it out; Balamb Garden's numerous functions, such as the Garden Festival, made it the most casual among Gardens largely due to Cid's direction.

"You've done good work, mister Alnon," Senior stated, nodding approvingly. He'd remember this yet, if need be – Senior, while calculating and ruthless most of the time in the business world, did not forget acts of good faith. Allies in business could be hard to come by, and the rewards from most endeavors made maintaining good relations with any and all potential allies something to strive for. "However, this has now become…a family matter, you might say."

"I understand," Alnon replied. "Feel free to contact me again should you need my services. I'll leave you to your work now, Headmaster – I'm sure you've much to do today."

The channel closed with a quiet tap of Senior's finger upon the keypad in front of him, and he leaned back in his chair, briefly contemplating just what the new data meant before casting the thoughts aside. He would have his personnel go over the files later, sorting out what demanded his immediate attention from what was just background data or research material. Right now, however, more pressing matters demanded his attention, matters of a much more personal sort. His finger brushed another series of keys, opening a channel to a single GLD, and he paused for several seconds before he received an answer from the other end of the line.

"Darius. My office, now. We need to have…a bit of a talk, you and I."

* * *

This is mostly a...filler chapter, of sorts; the first half deals with the events of last chapter, while the second half sets up for the next major arc to follow this one. I wrote most of the chapter in two separate days, once I actually found time to sit down and write uninterrupted. As always, please read and review.


	62. I, IV, XIII: Thanatos, Part I

This chapter marks the first part of the two-part finale, which will also be the last true chapter of Book I. After the finale will be a single interlude chapter, likely also containing my thoughts on the entirety of Book I, and then it's on to Book II.

Begin!

* * *

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter XIII—Thanatos, Part I ~ Viewpoint of Demise_

* * *

[July 8, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Garden Commander's Office | 8:04 PM]

* * *

"You…want me to come along?"

Ein Beoulve's face was the picture of innocence and confusion as he stood before Katanas' desk, watching the smiling Garden Commander as he sat calmly in his chair.

"I do. It's late, so I expect little to happen here that Albel could not handle in our place, and I believe that it's high time I showed you one of the places where I tend to disappear to on occasion," Katanas spoke calmly. "Think of it as a field trip. You've been doing a lot of work lately, and I thought I might find some way to show my appreciation."

Ein's eyes lit up as his face broke into a smile, and it became clear that he was suddenly having trouble containing his excitement. For all his skill at his duties, the young SeeD officer was still very much a kid at heart, despite the professional attitude he put forth in his day-to-day activities.

"When do we leave? Do I need to get ready? Should I take anything?"

Katanas chuckled lightly at Ein's sudden, rapid-fire line of questions, and held up a hand in a placating gesture. "Don't rush yourself. You're dressed just fine for a trip to the Ethereal Plane – just make sure you have your blade with you. The Ethereal Plane is peaceful, but danger could strike anywhere, as I'm sure you've been taught by your time here. I'm not saying that anything will happen, but just make sure to stay alert, and let me take the lead if anything does come up."

Ein nodded – he'd always taken that lesson to heart, as both his mentor and his sister placed the highest value in it. He patted the blade at his side, making sure that the scabbard was firmly attached to its place.

"Can we go now?" he chirped happily, his body language expectant and excited. Katanas smiled, and then stood from his desk, reaching for the rapier kept behind it as he armed himself as well. Next, he opened a drawer on the desk, reaching inside and retrieving a pair of inscribed gauntlets. Each bore a customized transmutation circle on the back of the white cloth, the source of his Flame Alchemy. He slipped them on carefully, and then stepped around the desk to meet Ein, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"All you have to do is take a step," Katanas replied, a knowing smile on his face.

"…Just one step?" Ein asked, quizzically. "You mean, like this?"

Ein made to step forward, and Katanas stepped with him, careful to keep his hand on Ein's shoulder so as to channel the energies of his Planeswalk through him as well. Two feet touched the floor of the office in sync for the briefest instant before Katanas' Planeswalk whisked them away from the mortal plane and onto the Crystal Path.

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court]

* * *

"Just like that."

Ein was speechless for several long seconds, and Katanas' amused chuckle cut through the air as Ein finally voiced the only reaction to the sudden change in scenery – and dimensional plane – that he could manage.

"…Whoa."

"Welcome to the Ethereal Plane," Katanas said, sweeping his arms out wide. "Home of the cerebral and idealistic. One polar side of the universal coin, if you will – also the opposite of the Nether Plane, home to the instinctual and realistic."

Ein spun slowly in a circle, taking in all the sights of wonder while Katanas took a moment to rest. Planeswalking wasn't the most draining endeavor when doing it solely for the user, but bringing someone else along made the normally-simple task exponentially more difficult, even if the person in question was also a Planeswalker. The energies used for shifting between planes and realms were simply not meant to be channeled through beings other than the one commanding them.

"You've told me about the Nether Plane before, I think," Ein commented, still enamored by the sights around him. "Is that where the demons come from?"

"_Daiesthai_," Katanas corrected, "but yes, it is. This plane is somewhat of its direct opposite, the home of beings called _Erudite._"

Ein nodded; Katanas had given him some information on the Ethereal Plane and Nether Plane in the past, information which he was now trying to remember. "_Erudite _are more powerful, right?"

"Not necessarily. On average, yes, an _Erudite _is more powerful than a _Daiesthai_, but there are very powerful Nether Plane beings just as there are very powerful Ethereal Plane beings, or very powerful mortals."

Ein gave another nod to Katanas, finally starting to turn his attention back to his mentor, before he stopped, gaze locked on something in the distance that seemed to suddenly fascinate him. "Katanas…what is _that?_"

Katanas turned slightly, following Ein's outstretched finger towards the source of his amazement, and smiled as he realized what had caught the younger boy's eye.

"That is our destination – to be precise, that building is called the Palace of Creation. I believe I've mentioned a Lady Freya Vanadis to you in the past, as well?" Ein gave a quiet 'yes' in response, and Katanas nodded, gesturing for Ein to follow. "The Palace of Creation is her home of sorts, the place where she handles her daily affairs and meets with anyone who requires it. I plan on introducing you to her today, if I'm able."

Ein's eyes widened – he knew that as a Planeswalker, Katanas answered to Aizen Sosuke, the Overlord of the Nether Plane, but he had never met the Overlord personally. Now, Katanas was going to actually take him to see the leader of an entire plane of existence? It felt surreal in a way, like he was walking in a hazy dream, but the excitement that he was feeling all throughout his body assured him that he was very firmly planted in reality.

The pathway leading through the Upper Court that Katanas and Ein walked seemed mostly deserted, with only a few _Erudite _wandering the area, mostly too occupied by their tasks to offer more than a passing glance at the duo as they headed towards the palace in the distance.

"Most of the buildings around here are for governmental matters," Katanas explained, gesturing around the area. "Yes, even the outer planes have paperwork…though I imagine it being of a vastly different sort."

"I can't even imagine what governing an entire existence would be like…!"

"Well, maybe you can ask Lady Freya yourself when we get there, hm?"

Ein's eyes widened again, and he nodded emphatically to Katanas, resisting the urge to run ahead in his excitement as he let the Garden Commander lead him towards the distant building.

* * *

"It's perfect."

Arragious threw an odd look in the direction of the tiny girl beside him as they sat and watched the entrance to the Palace of Creation. She hadn't said a word ever since they had arrived, simply sitting and watching in silence with an eerie smile on her face as _Erudite _came and went through the courtyard. Arragious was an extremely calm being, with nerves of steel and the patience of a saint, but even he was becoming restless.

"Even if you failed to bring any harm to Odin…well, you still advanced my plans. The palace's defenses are the lowest in decades, and Freya's advisors are too busy running around to bother realizing that what they seek is right under their noses."

"You act as if they would give you any trouble at full strength. Certainly, you boast of your ability enough that it should be simple for you either way."

"So nice of you to remember," the child replied. "Still, the easier the better. Heroic-types always have a tendency to surprise you with unwanted tactics."

"What about the Pillars?" Arragious asked. "I take it you have plans for them, if they interfere?"

"They won't be able to do much," she remarked offhandedly, her smile turning predatory. "Fayt's power is trivial compared to mine, and Destine is too distraught to lift a finger right now. Only Will would stand in my way, and he's too pacifistic to do anything without a direct order from Freya…which she would never give. She's too soft-hearted – she'll want to deal with this herself, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"As you wish," the former Captain-Commander replied, conceding to the little girl's whims. If she said that she had everything in control, he would simply sit back and watch.

If she was wrong, then he would get an excellent opportunity to finish what he had started, and if she was right, then she would finish it for him. Either way, the victory would be his – it was only a matter of whether it was shared or alone.

"Should we mo–"

"We're being watched."

The girl's voice was as casual as if she were discussing the weather as she interrupted Arragious, gesturing off towards the courtyard with an uninterested look across her face. Arragious' eyes turned towards the direction she was pointing, and found a most unwelcome sight as he focused in on the object of her attention – one of Freya's Planeswalkers, holding a glittering blue blade at his side. Idly, Arragious recognized him as the _Vayash Moru _that she had brought into her service, Liam Bayloh.

'_No matter. He is of little consequence to us,' _he thought to himself, watching as the girl smiled and stepped off from atop the building that they were on, her feet reacting as if she were on solid ground as she stepped onto thin air. With every step, she moved lower, as if she were walking down some invisible staircase, and Arragious quietly followed, letting himself fall to the ground easily as the girl slowly made her way towards Angel.

Angel tensed as he watched the pair approach. Freya had, ever since the first attack on Master Hirota, given instructions to Angel and her other Planeswalkers to watch for Arragious Nicholai, and to only engage him alone if retreat was not an option. The Creator wanted someone such as Odin or Xeios to assist if possible, but Angel knew that he was about to find himself in a situation where retreat was, in fact, impossible – not through any literal impossibility, but because of the fact that the Palace of Creation was directly behind him, and he did not know who was inside to guard Lady Freya. His duty as a Planeswalker was first to his patron, and he was not going to let anyone harm his patron without doing all he could to stop them. He made no move for his weapon, however; drawing first may only escalate things more quickly, and he wanted all the time he could get to prepare.

"Liam Bayloh," the girl said, taking small, quiet steps towards Angel's position with all the care of someone on a nature walk. "It's _so good _to finally see you. I'd heard that Freya had brought a _Vayash Moru _into the fold, but I didn't believe it. Yet, you're standing here in front of me right this very moment. How…quaint."

Angel said nothing, keeping his expression calm as he watched Arragious join the girl, falling into step behind her. The way she spoke was unnerving, and he realized that she was almost certainly not another Planeswalker – the others in Freya's employ knew well of him, and she seemed to know only what she had most likely heard from Arragious, from his guess. That meant that she was likely a powerful outer planar being, though he couldn't guess from _which_ plane. Arragious' body language seemed to suggest that he was working _for _the girl, not _with _her, judging by the way he stayed subtly behind her position, and knowing how powerful Arragious was from the information Freya had given…

How powerful did she have to be?

"Should I deal with him for you?" Arragious rumbled, casting a quick glance in the girl's direction. She giggled in response, holding up a hand to her companion.

"I think not," she remarked, taking a step forward. "It's been years since I had the chance to see a Planeswalker in action, you know. I'd like to see if Freya's choices have improved any since the early years."

The girl was within twenty feet of Angel now, and he knew he could close that distance and strike in a heartbeat…but still, he stayed his blade. He was caught in a bad situation, and he knew it – striking first, with no idea of what his opponent could do, had the potential to be disastrous, but so did sitting idle. He made a snap decision; his hand reached for his blade, and it cleared its sheath as he took a step forward.

A moment later, Angel found his motion suddenly and violently reversed, his head snapping forward as a powerful wave of telekinetic force sent him flying into the wall of the palace hard enough to send cracks spider webbing throughout the stone.

"Shame I don't believe in fair fights, though."

Angel groaned quietly; that push had contained more than enough power to kill a normal person, and it wasn't too pleasing to a _Vayash Moru_, either. He shook off the dizziness, stepping forward in order to get away from the wall, and immediately found himself battered again by an orb of compressed air that doubled him over even as it forced him back into the wall, leaving blinding pain shooting through his midsection – he wasn't too sure that it hadn't cracked a rib or two, either.

"You're in the way, and I need you out of the way. It's simple."

Angel dimly became aware of the girl standing nearly beside him as he staggered off the wall again – when had she moved, he wondered – before he was sent flying again as the young girl backhanded him across his face absently while she walked past, sending him sailing across the courtyard to bounce and skid to a stop against the outer wall that ringed the square.

This time, he did not rise.

"It's no fun to play with mortals," she commented, gesturing for Arragious to follow. "They're just like bugs…and bugs are easily squashed."

* * *

Some small part of Ein had thought that Katanas was joking in some of the things he had said earlier – they couldn't possibly be going to meet the leader of an entire plane, Planeswalker status or not. It just wasn't possible. One couldn't walk in and meet the president of Galbadia or Esthar, so why would the leader of one of the outer planes allow such a thing?

Now, Ein realized, it seemed like he needed to reevaluate his initial interpretations of how things worked among the outer planes. As he sat at a table within the lavish, expansive throne room of the Ethereal Plane's Creator, his mind kept studying all the myriad décor within the room, the two beings within the room itself besides himself and Katanas, and the idea that he was only one of a few mortals to even know that higher planes existed, let alone have something similar to dinner with the two highest officials of the plane.

"It is good to see you visit again, Sir DeValle," Lady Freya intoned, looking across the table towards the Nether Planeswalker. "I trust your time since your last visit has been productive?"

"Productive indeed, milady," Katanas replied with a smile. "Affairs on the mortal plane proceed smoothly, though I fear that unrest is brewing again in Galbadia. Nothing that can't be handled, but it makes the job more difficult."

"Understandable," she replied. "That you brought a companion along for this visit did not escape my notice, as well," she continued, gesturing towards Ein. Ein shifted nervously in his chair as Katanas chuckled, turning towards the younger Beoulve sibling.

"Indeed I did," Katanas stated. "Lady Freya, this is Ein Beoulve – he serves as my aide for my duties as Garden Commander back on Gaia. I thought it may be prudent to introduce him to the existence of the higher planes, if only to give him some idea as to where I tend to disappear to at important times," he continued mirthfully.

Freya smiled, nodding politely towards Ein – it wasn't hard to see the younger boy's nervousness, and it was important to her to show that Ein was in no danger here. "My name is Freya Vanadis, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Beoulve."

"L-Likewise, ma'am – I mean, Lady Freya," Ein said, stuttering slightly as he fought down a wave of nervousness and excitement. "I can't believe that I'm actually in a place like this…it's a bit overwhelming."

"I understand," Freya replied. "You may relax – simply showing me the respect you would someone such as Katanas will be more than enough. I do not expect you to know the customs and address that a Planeswalker such as your mentor is aware of, so please do not worry about accidental offense."

Ein took a moment to compose himself again, then nodded silently – he was still terrified of showing disrespect to someone such as the Creator, but he'd do his best to act normal in her presence, if only because he would hate to see either her or Katanas feeling bad on his account.

"I can imagine that you have questions, Ein," Katanas spoke, returning to the conversation. "I'm sure that Lady Freya will answer as many as she is able before she must return to her duties."

Ein was only partially listening to Katanas by that time – he had wanted to inquire about one thing in particular almost since he had entered the room. He looked between Freya and the armored figure sitting in one of the seats closest to her, and took a brief moment to make sure he wasn't going to stumble over his words before speaking.

"I have a small question first, if that's okay…" he started hesitantly, looking back at the Creator. "Is that…Odin?"

Freya smiled, and her companion let out a rumbling chuckle at the younger boy's words. "Yes – he is Lord Odin, the leader of the Ethereal Knights, who help maintain the peace of my plane. You have heard of him, it seems."

"On Gaia, Odin is legendary," Ein started, momentarily forgetting his fear as he started to explain his knowledge to Freya. "We consider him a Guardian Force, mostly because we really don't know of a better term, but…he's far more powerful than any Guardian Force we know of, even Bahamut, and I've never heard of him junctioning to anyone before."

Freya gave a small laugh of amusement, looking over at Odin briefly. "It would seem your reputation is much the same in the lower plane as it is in our own, Lord Odin."

"We have stories about Odin dating back to around the 4th century," Ein continued, looking towards Odin with a mix of awe and intrigue. "Obviously, we don't know how many are actually true, but most of what I've read is almost beyond belief."

"Lord Odin is the second-oldest being in the Ethereal Plane, so I have no doubt that the stories are at least plausible. His service in this plane spans over two millennia, and he has descended to the mortal plane on occasion to spread wisdom and lend aid when he deemed it necessary."

Ein's eyes widened – had he just had ancient history confirmed by the Creator? Imagine what people would say if they had heard what he had just heard…it could change the face of historical records forever to have even a passing confirmation of any of the myths and legends that he knew of. He was positively shaking with excitement and eagerness now to ask more questions about things that Odin may have participated in, but managed to keep himself in check for the moment – he was equally interested in the workings of the Ethereal Plane as a whole, and knew that Katanas would likely want him to ask more about that knowledge than their own Gaian history. His nervousness was fading more and more into the background now, replaced by a strong urge to know more about anything the Creator was willing to explain, and he found himself lost in that feeling as he started asking questions about the Ethereal Plane's organization and structure, all under the smiles of a watching Katanas.

* * *

Kisara looked up from her studies within the now-empty chamber in the palace that she had been occupying for the past few hours, a chill running through her spine as she looked around the deserted room. There was a tingle on the outer edges of her awareness, like the feet of a fly upon one's skin that could barely be felt, but for some reason it chilled her to the bone. She put down the scroll she was examining and stood from her chair, carefully making her way over to the door and opening it just a crack, before peering outside. Almost immediately after, she flung the door open wide and stepped out into the hallway beyond, looking from side to side as she took in the surroundings.

On either side of her, bodies lay slumped against the walls or in the middle of the hall, with various levels of injury. Some, she could see no outright injuries on, while others bore ripped robes and bloodstains on the walls or floor where they rested. Kisara's mind raced – how could someone have left a trail of bodies such as she was seeing, yet still be quiet enough to not disturb her or anyone who may have been in nearby rooms? The feeling in the pit of her stomach grew just subtly stronger as she started to move, looking in the general direction of Freya's throne room – the Creator needed to be informed, immediately, as she knew not if anyone else was aware of this, or even conscious enough to relay the information. She knelt to the nearest body for an instant before she prepared to move, checking for vital signs, and was relieved to find that they were still alive; apparently, whatever or whoever was inside the palace was not concerned with inflicting fatalities. As she stood again, she realized that she could feel the spiritual energy of others present in the hall, meaning that they were still alive as well…but along with that, she observed a second problem. Sir Bayloh's spiritual energy was weak, not terribly so, but significantly weaker than normal, and she wondered if he had been one of those in the path of the being responsible.

She was well aware that she had no idea how much time she may have to warn Freya, however, and her feet moved swiftly as she broke into a run, using her own energy to augment her speed as she made the quickest course to Freya's chamber that she could plot.

'_Has Arragious attacked again?' _she mused to herself, ignoring most of her faintly-blurry surroundings as she rushed through the maze-like hallways of the palace. Every turn she made, more bodies lay nearby, some of whom she noticed were not completely unconscious, but groaning softly in pain or attempting to regain their wits. If it was Arragious, he was certainly in a hurry, which was unlike him – Arragious had been known to be patient with any endeavor, including and especially attacks.

Every step she took, however, seemed tougher to make. She felt as if she was wading through molasses, constantly pushing herself harder and harder in order to put one foot in front of the other, and it wasn't entirely the feeling of the pressure she now sensed coming from a powerful spiritual entity, but something more…sinister. Her skin crawled as if hundreds of insects were roving up and down her body. Every shadow seemed darker, every spot of blood more vivid and striking. Every heartbeat pounded in her ears and skull like the reverberations of a war drum. It wasn't just taking more effort to move physically, but psychologically as well, and only her dedication to the Ethereal Plane and her duties as a member of the Ethereal Magi kept her pushing onward despite the steadily-intensifying trepidation that was building in her mind.

She didn't know how long she ran – her legs moved, her feet ached, her body burned with the constant, ever-increasing exertion, and for a minute, all that existed for Kisara was the repeated motion of her footsteps and the sound of her beating heart in her ears. The pressure on her body was still there as well, weighing her steps down like she was slogging through thick mud, but she ignored it and drove on, rounding another corner in her pursuit of the offender.

The pressure intensified as the hallway beyond came into view, and Kisara stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that awaited her.

Several bodies littered the hallway, but these were much more gruesome than the ones she had previously encountered. Entire sections of the wall were covered in splattered blood, accented by _Erudite _who had been pinned to the wall by their own weapons, impaled through their bodies and into the stone. Others only barely resembled their former selves, their bodies crushed by what looked like massive blunt trauma…and Kisara fought the urge to shiver as she realized that those bodies were the cause of the blood smears she saw.

"We've more company."

Arragious Nicholai, standing with the small girl in the middle of the pile of corpses – and there was no doubt they were all corpses, Kisara knew – looked back at Kisara, piercing her with a stare that froze her in place even more than her fear and the pressure of the energy was already doing.

"Really, now. No one in this place has manners enough to announce their presence, it seems."

The girl turned around, and Kisara realized who she was facing in an instant …as well as where all of the oppressing energy was coming from. She sized the Ethereal Magus up briefly, examining her with a disinterested gaze, and then turned back around as if dismissing Kisara as insignificant.

"Run along, little girl. Business awaits, and I don't have any time to play with kids."

Kisara started to step forward, to stop her, to do anything…and realized that she couldn't. At first, she thought that the suffocating energy had finally bested her attempts to ward it off, but she realized a moment later that she felt too weak even considering the effects of the invisible energy field. Her body shook for a moment and then stumbled, sending her falling to the floor even as Arragious' mesmeric blades removed themselves from her back and floated back towards the pair, covered in her blood.

'…_How…?'_

"…You used my blades," Arragious said, his voice carrying the undercurrents of annoyance with it even as he reclaimed the blades and swiped some of the blood off, then wiped them on his robes, staining them with streaks of red.

"I don't recall asking for permission."

All Kisara could do as the pair walked away was watch weakly, realizing that she had failed to warn Lady Freya of what was to come.

* * *

"So, this war lasted for three hundred and thirty years? That's…remarkable…" Ein breathed, looking at Freya and Odin with shock. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been asking questions about the Ethereal Plane's history, trying to get an idea of just what had made the two-millennium old outer plane the way it was today. It had started with the history of Freya, Odin, and Xeios, and from there had gone into brief explanations of how the Gilead Order and Order of Grim Angels had come about, the subsequent war that eventually broke out, and the fall of both orders soon after the war's end. Ein had been both horrified and intrigued at a simplified description of the war's politicking and the events which brought it about, especially the length of time for which it lasted – enough so for four generations of mortals to be born and die in, never knowing of the nationwide war going on just outside of their plane of reality.

"It was saddening to see so many of my children perish in the Harrowing…an entire race died off for foolish reasons and pride," Freya said softly, shaking her head. "I realize now that I should have acted sooner, but I believed my actions to be best then. I do not blame myself for the events of the past, but I yet wish they could be changed."

"You mentioned that the Gilead Order was disbanded, right?" Ein asked, receiving an affirmative nod from the Creator. "Why?"

"It was partially to appease the rebellious attitudes remaining in the plane as a result of the actions of the Captain-Commander," Freya explained. "Even after I stepped in, tensions were still high between the group who wished me replaced and those still loyal to me, and this was an attempt at compromise. Odin was given command of the Ethereal Knights after their creation, replacing the Gilead Order, and he served as a leader that the denizens of the plane rallied behind, seeing him in a better light than even myself. Indeed, most wished Odin to be my replacement soon after the Harrowing."

"I don't understand. What did the Captain-Commander do wrong?"

Freya sighed, remaining silent for several long seconds. "You ask a question I have asked myself for three centuries, young one. Even now, I do not have an answer."

Ein mentally winced – he realized he'd hit a rather sore point for the Creator, and immediately stopped. Apparently, even those powerful enough to be gods weren't infallible…it seemed to him like they acted just like mortals in most regards.

"Maybe you just aren't asking the right question."

_(Play: Sign – ACC Long Version – Kazuhiko Toyama, Kenichiro Fukui; Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete)_

Ein stiffened as a voice he didn't recognize echoed through the chamber, and Katanas turned in his seat to face the doors to the chamber. Odin's hand immediately went to his sword – he recognized the voice, without question. It would be hard for him not to, after centuries of hearing it. Freya watched the doors wordlessly as their surfaces seemed to ripple like water, allowing Arragious Nicholai to step through as if they were but a light curtain being pushed aside, followed closely by his escort.

The small girl's red hair waved lightly as she walked behind Arragious, seemingly dwarfed by the taller _Erudite _but looking every bit as imposing as any warrior could. Her dress was a strange mix of black and gray, the left side black and right gray save for one streak of black that circled it at waist-level, and her small black shoes clicked on the tile floor as she moved, walking calmly past him to stand and face Freya and her visitors.

"You always seemed so self-convinced that what you were doing was right, I scarcely believed you capable of questioning yourself, to be quite honest," she commented. Quietly, Freya pushed her chair back and stood from the table, stepping around it to face two beings she had not seen in centuries. Her face was stern as she looked upon the Gilead Order's former leader, surprised that he would be bold enough to enter her throne room a second time…but she found that she was not as surprised as she expected, given the one who accompanied him. Yet, she still held a vain hope that they were both here for forgiveness in their own ways, despite every fact she knew which said they had no such intentions.

"I should have expected that no prison could hold you," Freya said quietly. "It would seem you have not changed in your time away, as well."

"Prison means little to me, you know. I never did take well to punishment…I much rather prefer to be giving rather than taking," the girl giggled. "And I see you haven't changed either…still entertaining the mortals in some vain hope that they become more than they were when you created them."

"You have never seen the value in my creations, or the wisdom in my actions, nor do I expect you ever will," the Creator replied. "Why have you come here?"

The girl giggled again – even now, it was simple for her to get under the skin of the Ethereal Plane's leader. "Well, now…I'd say it was a secret, but it should be pretty obvious to you…_Mother_."

Freya's face fell into a stern frown, and she folded her arms, looking down at the smaller girl. "Do not play games with me. Why have you come here…Hyne?"

Hyne smiled cheekily, adopting her best impression of an innocent little girl.

"Why do all children visit their parents? I want something, obviously," she said, pausing for a moment and feigning a look of deep thought. "But, you know, what I want isn't something that can be measured materially, unlike all those whiny mortal kids that bother their parents. It's kind of like what Fayt and Destine wanted, but different. Fayt wanted attention – she's the youngest, and she's always been a bit of a brat. Destine wanted revenge – you kicked her boyfriend out, and she wanted to get back at you for it."

Odin was watching carefully for any undue movement by the tiny girl – Hyne had a tendency to be rather theatric, especially in her more whimsical moods – and had one hand firmly clenched on the handle of Zantetsuken as he watched her rant. She started pacing the floor in front of Arragious as the occupants of the room watched, speaking all the while, her shoes quietly tapping on the polished floor.

"When it really comes right down to it, though…for me, it's not about attention. It's not about revenge. What I want is something much…simpler."

Hyne stopped suddenly, looking back up at Freya with an expression on her face as casual as if she had been discussing the weather.

"I want to reap the lives of your creations. After all, that's why you created me in the first place, Mother."

* * *

Until next chapter...


	63. I, IV, XIV: Thanatos, Part II

_Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks  
_

_Chapter XIV—Thanatos, Part II ~ Contemplation of Purity  
_

* * *

All eyes had turned to Freya upon Hyne's boastful proclamation – Hyne was most assuredly an Ethereal being, but for Freya to create someone whose entire existence was focused around killing and reaping souls seemed completely at odds with her peace-loving personality. Freya stayed calm, even though she realized that both mortals were now carefully watching her, and met Hyne's gaze without a hint of worry.

"You attempt to twist the intentions I had behind your creation, Hyne – it seems I was correct in expecting such maliciousness from you." Freya paused briefly, looking at the pair of Katanas and Ein watching her from their positions at the table, and nodded towards them. "In a way, Hyne is correct, but she attempts to excuse her more deplorable traits by way of foisting suspicion onto me. Hyne was created to serve as a carrier of souls, one who would lead the souls of the departed on to their resting place within Soul Society. However, her personality became…muddled…over time, due to the influences of her task and her surroundings."

"In short, the near-constant sight of death and tragedy affected her far more than Lady Freya initially expected," Odin added, speaking up to defend his patron.

"Even then, it was within my capabilities to deal with…but Hyne took things too far."

"You act like you 'dealt with it' at all, Mother," Hyne commented. "You were far too much of a pacifist back then – you didn't want to even scold your own children. You still don't, actually."

A light frown crossed Freya's face, and she sighed as she looked down towards Hyne's smaller form. "I will admit that you are correct in that respect. I had a tendency to act much less often than was proper in the past," she stated, "but I have changed since that time, and learned much from my mistakes. You, it would seem, have learned far less than your sisters."

Katanas had been watching the entire exchange with mute interest, but Freya's statement caught his attention for more reasons than just hearing the Creator admit weakness. Freya's mention of Hyne's 'sisters' was very pointed and intentional, and Katanas had noticed ever since Hyne had entered that Hyne had called Freya 'Mother' instead of by her name. The only ones who addressed Freya as such, to his knowledge, were…

"Ein, I believe we have now met the fourth Pillar of Reality," Katanas said quietly to the young boy, causing his eyes to widen with surprise.

"You could say that," Hyne replied nonchalantly, "but I like to think I've learned more than they have. After all, they couldn't even gather any support for their acts. Fayt was all alone, too caught up in her own ego to bother finding help. Destine had a single weak _Daiesthai _and a couple of half-wit _Erudite_…while I have the backing of the Gilead Order's former leader, someone far more useful than all of those meager trappings combined."

"I find it hard to believe that someone like Nicholai would willingly follow any of your maddening ideas," Odin rumbled, shifting his gaze to the taller _Erudite._

"Oh, he didn't want to at first," the tiny girl said casually, smiling. "It took some creative…persuasion to make him see the wisdom of cooperating with me."

Arragious' eyes narrowed – why _was _he working with Hyne? He had wanted her help to vanquish his foes, specifically Odin, Xeios, and Freya, whom he knew that even he was not strong enough to best alone. But she had dissuaded those intentions at every turn, demanding loyalty from him before she would offer even the slightest cooperation…and now, he was in the middle of her own ambitions, his tasks and longings thrown to the wayside like refuse. He felt as if he had no will left, nothing but the hope of seeing her goals achieved in order to indirectly satisfy his own lust for revenge…

Nothing so much as a puppet, being led around on strings by a pair of careful and eager hands.

"Mental domination magic," Freya intoned, realizing the thrust of Hyne's insinuation. "I find myself unsurprised that you would resort to such methods."

Arragious whirled on Hyne, his eyes suddenly full of hatred and a feverous desire to rip the tiny _Erudite _apart piece by manipulative piece. "You've been controlling me all this time…using _my _desires to further your own self-centered agenda…!"

"You practically begged for it, Nicholai," Hyne remarked, casually dismissing the former Captain-Commander's ire with her words. "With a mind so obsessed with revenge and justice, it was easy to redirect all that emotion into something that would gain me far more than it ever would you. Had you been more at ease with the events in your past, it would never have worked...so, really, you only have yourself to blame."

Odin saw it coming before anyone else in the room. Arragious' pride had finally taken enough wounding from his benefactor, and the area around Arragious' form erupted with a furious burst of released spiritual power as he lunged at Hyne, his mesmeric blades also flying from their sheathes and swirling in towards the tiny _Erudite_.

"I will _not _be manipulated like this!"

Arragious' blades froze in mid-air just before meeting Hyne's flesh, and shivered for an instant before shattering into a small rain of metal shards that fell onto the porcelain floor, tinkling like broken glass. Arragious himself jerked to a halt as if he had struck an invisible wall, and a sudden dreadful presence filled everyone in the room as Hyne released some of her energy, overpowering Arragious' presence and rooting him to the ground with the force.

"Shame."

One dainty hand slowly reached up towards Arragious' chest, fingers outstretched as if to grasp an object that rested before her…and the fingers twitched, contracting and expanding quickly in the air.

Arragious let out a strangled gasp of pain and clutched at his chest with both hands, instantly falling to his knees on the polished floor of Freya's throne room. Hyne's hand stayed in the air, rhythmically twitching every second or two as a wicked smile spread across her face.

"I would've allowed you to live, if only you hadn't been so disagreeable…" Hyne mused, absently continuing to gesture with her hand as she spoke. "Can you feel that? This-"

_Twitch._

"-is my hand surrounding your heart."

_Twitch._

"I control the beat…"

_Twitch._

"…I control if you live…or if you die."

_Twitch._

"The heart is a funny thing, you know. It beats at the perfect-"

_Twitch._

"-speed to allow one to continue to receive lifeblood, to allow one to live."

_Twitch._

"Yet, if it slows down, one begins to grow tired…much like you are now."

Arragious' body was in agony from Hyne's telekinetic grip on his chest, and he could feel his strength ebbing away as she forcefully slowed down the beating of his heart. He couldn't even scream, despite the agony, as he could not find enough strength to utter more than choked gasps and sounds.

"S-Stop…" he coughed, fingers clutching at his chest as if they could throw off Hyne's power like a weight that had been laid across his chest. Beside Freya, Odin's Zantetsuken cleared its sheath as Odin stepped forward, scowling and furious at Hyne's display. He still held some measure of respect for the former Gilead Order's leader, and to see him tortured like this in front of his own eyes infuriated him despite what he knew of Arragious' intentions.

"That is _enough_, Hyne! You will cease your games, now!"

The floor trembled as Odin charged towards Hyne's position, Zantetsuken readied for a cleaving stroke that would separate Hyne's head from her shoulders. Hyne let her eyes drift towards Odin as he moved, still keeping her magical grip on Arragious, and lazily brought her other hand up in his direction. Odin's furious charge suddenly met a thick, gray-colored shield of pure magical energy erected by Hyne that sent the raw energy of death coursing through his veins, lighting his body aflame with searing power and propelling him across the throne room in the opposite direction to crash heavily into the floor. His plate armor-clad form cracked tile and sent another shudder through the room as he landed, instantly overwhelmed by Hyne's spiritual power.

Ein watched, horrified, as Hyne dispatched Odin with what seemed like a casual flick of her hand. What kind of being was she, so easily capable of dismissing someone of Odin's standing? It seemed impossible, even given what Katanas had told him of the other three Pillars…but he had just seen all the proof he needed. And now, she was toying with the life of another _Erudite_, one who had been hailed as one of the most powerful beings to ever grace the plane, as if he were no more than a marionette…

Ein shivered, despite himself, and stepped back in fear, hoping silently that the deranged Pillar would not turn her attention to them next.

"An annoyance, nothing more," Hyne muttered, turning her attention back to Arragious. "And, if it goes too fast…that can also be dangerous," she continued, as if she'd never stopped to attack Odin at all. "Like now."

_Twitchtwitchtwitch._

"I've heard it's quite painful."

_Twitchtwitchtwitch._

"How does it feel, to have seen your own end in the palm of my hand?" she asked Arragious, kneeling down close to him and savoring the look of pure, unrestrained agony across his face.

_Twitchtwitchtwitch._

"And now…" she whispered, finally letting the hand fall and watching as Arragious' eyes widened even further. He realized now that his heart's movement was no longer being controlled by Hyne…but that it had also stopped beating altogether as a result. He let out a silent scream as he slumped to the floor, his body convulsing and shaking as blood ceased pumping throughout it.

"I know you can still hear me. You're going into cardiac arrest now," Hyne said, looking at Arragious with a gleeful expression, enjoying the throes of his suffering. "This fear I feel…are you afraid of your own end?"

Arragious didn't respond, his shaking growing weaker as his body gradually failed. Hyne's only response was to giggle quietly, still smiling as Arragious slowly died in front of her.

"I can feel your fear, your hate. Show me…give me more! _More!_" she cried, giggling happily as Arragious' body finally stilled on the pristine floor of the throne room.

Freya stood from her place then, eyes cold and locked squarely on the diminutive form of her 'daughter' as she moved down from her throne. She hadn't wanted to engage Hyne herself, mostly for fear of harming Arragious or the two mortals present in the crossfire, but now…she had a golden opportunity. Hyne had likely interpreted her inaction as cowardice, but she had yet to learn that the Creator had changed greatly over the centuries that she had been imprisoned.

"Be silent, Hyne," Freya said, magic slowly forming around her fingertips. "It would seem that each of my daughters has now seen it fit to test the limits of my patience. You, however, are beyond reason, unlike your sisters."

"What's this?" Hyne asked mockingly, turning around to face the Creator. "Our dearest mother, actually daring to lift a hand against her children? I can scarcely believe my eyes!"

"Ein," Katanas said softly, turning his gaze to the younger boy now almost huddling behind him to stay out of Hyne's sight. "Go to Lady Freya, and do not move. Stay at her throne, but when you see an opportunity, I want you to run. Get out of here, and find Will."

"And…leave you here?" Ein said, looking up at Katanas with a look of horror. "But-"

"_Ein,_" Katanas repeated, more sternly, "this is no place for you to be right now, and trying to protect you might put Lady Freya in danger. I will be fine – I am a Nether Planewalker, and I knew the risks that came with my station ever since I accepted it."

The look on Katanas' face silenced any further objections Ein might've had, and he quickly bolted for the relative safety of Freya's throne, putting the Creator and his mentor between the deceptively-dangerous little girl and himself. Satisfied that Ein was now safe – as he knew Freya would let no harm come to the child – Katanas readied himself for what he was about to do.

"Milady."

Freya's eyes turned briefly to Katanas as he spoke, and the Flame Alchemist stepped forward towards Hyne, approaching slowly and carefully.

"Allow me to assist, if you would."

Katanas knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what his actions would result in. He didn't want to worry Ein, and hoped that like the obedient and faithful child that he was, Ein would listen to his commands just one more time.

Katanas didn't want Ein to see him die, and he knew that it was to be the only logical end to his actions here.

Hyne's eyes widened a fraction at Katanas' words, and she shifted her attention to Katanas…before laughing, slowly at first, but quickly building into full-blown uproarious laughter.

"Now, this is a treat, indeed! Katanas DeValle himself dares to grace me with a display of his abilities? I'm flattered beyond imagination!"

Katanas quirked an eyebrow. Derision, he expected. Insulting, all but guaranteed. Amusement, however, was not quite the reaction he had expected from the Pillar upon hearing his proclamation – at least, not in the manner which she was displaying.

"You sound rather…amused by my decision."

Hyne laughed for several seconds more before she finally began to stop, regaining her composure and fixing Katanas with the same eerie smile she tended to carry. "And why wouldn't I be? It is, after all, such a rare occurrence that I should be honored to have it happen." She started to pace the floor again in front of Freya and Katanas, her feet hovering just above the ground so as to seemingly not even exert the effort of pushing against the floor to walk.

"Katanas DeValle…do you know what your sins are?"

"My caring too much? Or my sense of calm? Perhaps my confidence," Katanas responded after a moment of silence. "Or maybe something that runs…deeper. Do you see something that no one else sees? You'd certainly be the first."

He didn't know what kind of game Hyne was playing now, but he was going to meet her halfway in the game of verbal maneuvering she seemed to wish to draw him into. Delaying could only prove favorable, as well, especially when one was so outmatched. Another round of giggles issued from Hyne's mouth, shorter than her previous outburst, before she met Katanas' eyes again.

"You say you care too much. Yet…where are you when your friends are in distress? When your brothers are in need? Selfishness." She held out a finger, ticking off a point on it as if she was beginning a list. "Calm? For someone who is considered to be one of the strongest mortals in existence, you stay home quite often. You say calm, and I say you are afraid of what this world can do to you. Your confidence is…astounding, I must say, for someone who is clearly a very small mouse."

She stopped pacing for a moment, glancing at Freya as if to gauge her reaction, before continuing.

"Gluttony," she said, ticking off another point on her fingers. "So much training, in so many different areas, so quickly. You cannot get enough – enough knowledge, enough power, enough status…it intoxicates you. You wish to have it all, to know it all, as much and as quickly as humanly possible."

She ticked off a third point, pacing across the floor again.

"Sloth. You are slow to excite, slow to anger, slow to show rage…any emotion at all. You don't show it, because you cannot be bothered. As long as things are done, it doesn't matter _when _they are done, does it? As long as Katanas is the big name of House Devalle, you can just be…well…what you are now."

Freya was watching Katanas as well, not amused by Hyne's taunting words…but, yet, interested to see how Katanas would react to them. She had been the one to initially proposition Katanas to become a Planeswalker for the Ethereal Plane, and as such, she had judged his qualities herself, weighing the opinions of her advisers along with her own before coming to her decision.

"But…what taught me the most?" Hyne stated, ticking off a fourth point. "Pride. None worthy of seeing your skills, and those who are barely worth your time. You believe yourself higher than all mortals. You trained here in the Ethereal Plane, and even the Pillars seem to give you some measure of respect, some more than others. Your pride is and will be your downfall, Katanas. It's strange that the one thing you hold in such high importance…is to be your _own_ end."

Hyne smiled again, satisfied that she had gotten her points across to the impudent mortal standing before her, and waited for Katanas to break down, realizing in his moment of reflection that she was right and that he was every bit the arrogant, sinful being she made him out to be.

Instead, Hyne found herself treated to a mirror image of what she herself had done a minute before as Katanas began to laugh in similar fashion to her unrestrained amusement prior, chuckling slowly and softly before building up into a rising, soul-filling cavalcade of laughter.

"You are an amusing being, I have to say," he commented, returning Hyne's smile with one of his own. He'd long come to terms with the flaws of his personality, and he had to admit on some level that Hyne was right, at least in part – but he was long over the years of insecurity and self-doubt that Hyne obviously counted on him still possessing. "Certainly, you have raised valid points, but your analysis is…somewhat flawed. My brothers rarely ever require my help, as both are old enough to understand the possible repercussions of their actions, and anything they might need me to protect them from is likely above even my potential to help with."

He held up a finger, mimicking Hyne's earlier gestures, before holding up a second one as he continued. "You say I am afraid of the world. In part, you are correct – I fear how this world can corrupt me, but I also understand that I would not be the first it has done so to, and will be far from the last. I understand and accept my position in the world, and trust that my actions are not undertaken without reason."

A third finger rose.

"Gluttony…well, I am undeniably guilty, I must say. I _have_ sought power and knowledge through many means, but always through _honorable _means, which is the difference that separates me from the tyrants and madmen you so quickly wish to place me among."

He reached into a pocket, raising a fourth and last finger as he did so.

"As for my pride…well…perhaps you have a point. Maybe the power and position _has_ gone to my head. But I cannot say that I am ashamed of my pride, as nearly anyone would look at my accomplishments and say that I should feel at least some measure of pride for them. I know that anyone could have accomplished what I have, however, and that keeps me humble."

Katanas' hand left his pocket as he finished speaking, an object held within, and Freya's eyes widened slightly as she realized what Katanas had come into possession of.

A haze of energy began to gather around Katanas as he drew energy from the Aries Holy Stone, reaching for his rapier with the other hand and bringing it before him as he prepared for the task at hand. Freya also turned her attention back to Hyne; the issue of how Katanas still possessed one of the sealed-away artifacts could be dealt with later.

"I am prepared, milady."

Freya nodded subtly, magic gathering around her fingertips as she watched her wayward 'child.' Hyne's games had truly gone too far, and she would not allow the Pillar of Finale to have her way any longer.

_(Play: Tenrai ~Divinity I~ - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)_

A series of glyphs appeared before Freya as she readied a spell, each of them spewing a wave of fiery bolts towards Hyne an instant later and showering the Pillar of Finalé with flame. The fire burst outward as Hyne reflected the magic, and Katanas' rapier dove in as the burning energy cleared, a flurry of thrusts stabbing out at Hyne's body at various points. Katanas' technique was superb, skill with the rapier honed by many years of training and combat both inside and outside of SeeD, but Hyne was an otherworldly entity with frightening amounts of magical power and enough experience to be seen by mortals as bordering on precognition. Deft hands reached out to slap aside each thrust of the rapier, with Hyne almost taunting Katanas to come further, and Katanas' blade found no purchase despite his junction and artifact-enhanced speed. Ghostly fingers suddenly reached for Hyne from behind, spirits summoned there by Freya intent on tying up the _Erudite _long enough for Katanas to land a meaningful blow, but Hyne swiveled and blasted the spirits with a spray of lightning, dispelling them before she spun further out, stepping lightly around Katanas' lunge and moving to face Freya. A violent cone of cutting wind assaulted Hyne as she finished her movement, but she dispersed the air current with a short and wide flash of energy before refocusing the energy into a piercing beam that shot at Freya, only to be deflected by a pink barrier as the Creator's _Shell _magic manifested.

Behind Hyne, Katanas' free hand rose, and the transmutation circle on his glove shimmered as he snapped his fingers, causing the air around Hyne to combust in explosive force that set the air to burning again and licked at the floor and walls of the room. Freya's palace, however, had been reinforced in nearly every part of the structure by magical wards of the Creator's own making; they would hold against nearly any power but _Ancient _entities, and had little to fear from the power of a _Hume, _even one as skilled as the eldest DeValle brother. On the other side of the Pillar, another spirit burst into existence, this one wreathed in crackling flames that swirled around it like fog, and it wasted no time in diving into the small inferno that Katanas had created to attack Hyne. The fire blew apart again under an onslaught of water created by the Pillar a moment later, and the spirit froze in place for an instant before flying into the wall and dissipating explosively under the grip of Hyne's telekinetic power.

"I know all your tricks, Mother," she commented, glancing between Katanas and Freya warily. "I might not be an _Ancient _like you, but I'm your match nonetheless."

In terms of sheer power, Freya knew, Hyne was incorrect – the difference between their raw powers was still enough to distance the Creator from her creation by some amount. However, Hyne's reason for existence was, in effect, Freya's direct antithesis – where Freya sought to create, Hyne sought to destroy.

Freya's only response was to draw another glyph in the air, materializing an orb of crackling electricity around Hyne that sent magical lightning coursing throughout her body. Katanas snapped again, igniting the air around Hyne once more into a roaring conflagration as he readied his rapier for any movement from the Pillar.

Hyne's small form suddenly burst from the fire, one fist coated with magical flame and the other with electrical power as she raced for Katanas. Quickly, Katanas snapped his rapier up into a guard position, and Hyne feinted at his chest with one hand before striking out at his head with the other. Katanas nimbly dodged around the first strike, but Hyne's follow-up move clipped his side and sent a jolt of power through him, momentarily numbing his body and reflexes, and he found himself launched away towards the wall as Hyne's other fist struck his face a moment later. Satisfied that the _Hume _wouldn't be annoying her for a few seconds, Hyne turned back to Freya, and found herself immediately forced to duck the swinging head of a spear that threatened to slice her neck. She was momentarily taken aback at the sight of Freya wielding a shining silver, two-headed spear, inscribed with ornate carvings and runes along the blades and shaft; Freya had always been one to stick with casting magic in various forms, and she had never seen the Creator doing anything beyond that.

"Thinking outside the box?" she asked, regaining her composure and straightening again before launching a flurry of blows with her elementally-enchanted fists. "You never seemed like the type!"

"It proves that you do not know me as well as you think," Freya commented, swatting Hyne's fists away with the flat of one blade before bringing the other up in a sweeping vertical arc that forced Hyne back again. She followed up with a pair of snapping thrusts that drove her 'daughter' to one side, right into the path of an _Aero _spell launched with a quick swing of a now-recovered Katanas' rapier. The spell left a shallow wound across her left shoulder, and Hyne flinched subtly at the sudden pain before readjusting to once again keep an eye on both fighters.

Freya, again, was first to resume the attack, sending a wave of holy energy at Hyne to precede her lunging strike at the smaller Pillar. Hyne didn't try to avoid the energy, instead countering it with an equal wave of dark power before sweeping a hand wreathed in water out as Katanas snapped, causing an explosion of searing steam to form as the liquid met Katanas' Flame Alchemy. The steam forced Freya to halt her attack as a sudden shove of telekinetic power from the Pillar of Finalé caused her to stumble, and then nearly fall completely as a wave of gravity magic from above crushed her towards the floor.

Katanas took the opportunity to press his attack, seeing Hyne momentarily distracted. A spray of liquid from a _Waterga _spell doused Hyne with crushing force through the thin haze of steam left over from his attack, dispersing enough of it for him to see his target clearly, and he let loose with a _Thundaga _spell moments later, a powerful bolt of lightning smashing into Hyne and jolting her with the magical energy. The quick flash of a Planeswalk took him back into melee range, and he let loose a flurry of stabs at Hyne while she was recovering that pierced her body at various points, drawing slow trickles of blood from the Pillar's left shoulder and upper body. Hyne immediately surrounded herself with a vortex of cutting wind, but Katanas had already flashed back out of range by that time…yet, he was frowning, apparently concerned.

'_I wouldn't have expected her to be weakening significantly so soon…unless Freya is imparting her power onto Hyne, trying to weaken her through force of her own spiritual energy,' _he thought to himself, considering the idea. He couldn't feel any of Freya's energy emanating from her body – in fact, it was somewhat unusual, as he could not feel _anything _at all from her in terms of spiritual power – but she was a master mage and _Ancient_-level entity, so he wasn't sure if he would even be capable of feeling such an effect without Freya willing it.

For a brief moment, he sheathed his rapier as Freya recovered, preparing to rejoin the fight, and channeled his Alchemy once again. The snaps of his fingers this time were louder, from both hands, and created an explosion of fire so powerful at Hyne's position that it flared a bright white briefly before subsiding into flickering orange and red hues. Under cover of his flame, he Planeswalked again, appearing behind where Hyne had been facing, and prepared to strike jointly with the Creator. Freya, sensing his intention, prepared to strike as well the moment Hyne was visible again.

The next few seconds were a blur of flashing blades, clashing magic, and flickering energy as Katanas and Freya pressured Hyne from both angles. A faint aura of energy built up around Freya as she moved, extending to Katanas as well after a moment and granting them both greater magical strength and protection, and the blades of Freya's spear glowed bright white as she moved to the attack, slicing out rapidly at Hyne in an attempt to deal a staggering or crippling blow. Hyne weaved around Freya's opening series of attacks even as Katanas bore in, slicing with his rapier again and trying to catch Hyne between two sets of blades. Instantly, the air around Hyne seemed to thicken, weighing Katanas down and making his attacks more sluggish as Hyne focused on evading the stabbing blades of Freya's spear. Two strikes found purchase on Hyne's side as she moved to try and keep both in her field of view, but she dismissed the injuries and grabbed Katanas with a telekinetic grip, yanking him nearly off his feet and towards her as dark energy built in her free hand in a blade-like shape. Freya gestured, and Katanas stumbled, the link of Hyne's attack severed by the quick magical counter, and Hyne retaliated with a series of lightning bolts directed at Freya that forced the Creator into a guard position to ward off the magical attack.

It only took Katanas a moment to recover, and fire built up around the length of his rapier's blade before he stabbed forward, letting loose a lance of flame that crossed the distance between himself and Hyne in a flash to explode into another violent gout of fire that engulfed the smaller Pillar. Again, he Planeswalked away as the attack connected, emerging at Hyne's unprotected back to find the Pillar hunched over slightly as if wounded. Yet again, he wondered if some influence of Freya's was the cause of Hyne's apparent weakness, even as Freya pressed another assault that Hyne found herself struggling to countermand without a weapon of her own. The Pillar of Finalé began to step back, forced to give ground under Freya's rapid and varied strikes, and Katanas started to focus Holy energy into his rapier as he watched, hoping that he could use Freya's offense to land a single, powerful strike that could turn the tables firmly to the Creator's side.

A powerful upward swing of Freya's spear finally sent Hyne stumbling as it nearly caught her chin, just avoiding slicing the bottom of her face open, and Katanas sprang into action, lunging forward with his elementally-enchanted rapier towards the middle of Hyne's back. Freya's spear pumped at the same time, moving towards Hyne's upper body in a quick stab to complete the pincer move. Hyne's hands twitched as she stepped back, and Katanas realized that he had made a mistake the moment that he felt himself pulled by Hyne's telekinetic powers.

From his vantage point behind Freya's throne, Ein screamed Katanas' name with a horrified expression as he watched Freya's spear stab Katanas in the chest in one fluid motion. Hyne straightened again, having propelled herself to the side with a quick exertion of magical force, and smiled widely as Katanas' blood began to pool on the pristine floor.

"You know, you should be more careful with that, Mother. Accidents happen too easily, after all."

Another sharp gesture came from her left hand, and Katanas' body was harshly pulled from the point of Freya's spear and thrown into the wall like a child's discarded toy, leaving Hyne to face Freya alone.

"So, are you going to fight me seriously now that the distraction's gone, or do I have to kill the other one, too?"

Freya's expression turned harsh, and she let her power expand to encompass Hyne, her spiritual energy stifling and pressing against the _Erudite _as if she were trying to snuff out a flame. Nearly any other _Erudite _would have been cowed by the forceful display of power, but Hyne seemed undeterred, releasing her own energy to battle against that of the Creator.

"Finally ready to show a bit of muscle, then? Good!"

Hyne's sentence had barely finished when Freya dove in again, her spear whirling and slicing at Hyne with ferocity and speed she hadn't displayed a moment ago. Hyne had just enough time to let off a quick burst of fire that Freya cut through before she found herself preoccupied with dodging, trying to avoid being sliced open by the spinning blades of the spear. A cut flashed over Hyne's head, and Freya let go of the weapon with one hand long enough to cast icy magic at Hyne, spears of frost erupting along the floor and nearly impaling Hyne where she stood before she destroyed them with a wave of force. Two spheres of dark energy flew from Hyne's hands as a counterattack, but Freya effortlessly deflected one of them into the wall with her weapon and grabbed the other with a free hand, crushing it in her grip and absorbing the manawithin the magical attack.

On the other side of the room, Ein found himself engulfed by a magical shield as he watched, desperately wanting to check on his mentor but terrified of getting in the middle of the fight between the two remaining combatants. He was momentarily surprised at the sight of the warding magic, but found himself squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears a moment later as the entire room erupted with bright light and sound that seemed to rattle the room.

The cross-shaped energy wave that Freya had released in her _Saint Cross_ attack subsided quickly, but the Holy energy had done its task – Hyne's clothes were smoking from the force behind the attack, and she looked somewhat surprised that Freya had exerted so much power with mortals so close by. She didn't get a moment to breathe, though, as Freya immediately struck again, returning to the whirling, graceful dance of spear thrusts and slices that threatened to shatter Hyne's guard at every motion. Hyne's hands flared with elemental magic, leaving trails of fire and ice as she parried and turned aside Freya's blade, but Freya sapped the energy from her body with draining bursts of energy, wearing her down with every passing second both physically and magically as she alternated her assault between spear strikes and quick, accurate magic spells. Hyne finally moved a fraction of a second too slowly to maneuver Freya's weapon out of its path, and the spear tore a line of pain across her body, followed immediately after by Freya enveloping Hyne in a binding spell of holy power, then propelling her away with a storm of white-hot flame.

Her body felt sluggish, Hyne realized as she tried to get up, and the sound of Freya's spear echoed in her ears as it touched the floor next to her head, the Creator already focusing for another attack on the downed Pillar. Freya had no intentions of letting Hyne get away with the acts she had committed; stripping her of her powers would only be the first step in the punishment that she would impart upon her daughter. Energy kept building around Freya as she prepared to continue her assault against Hyne, intent on weakening her to the point where she could no longer fight back at all before she proceeded, and Hyne could only watch as Freya channeled her magic against her prone form, lethargic from a combination of Freya's released power and the magical paralysis one of her last spells had contained.

"_Stop!"_

Freya did not, however, expect the voice of Ein Beoulve to break the momentary silence gained from her overwhelming attack.

_(End: Tenrai ~Divinity I~ - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)_

"Please…stop," Ein said, shaking his head as he watched Freya standing over Hyne, seemingly ready to kill her right in front of him. Freya held her position for several seconds before finally letting the energy buildup disperse, taking a step back from Hyne and letting enough of the paralyzing magic dissipate where she could stand. A mere thought from the Creator could stop her in her tracks now, weakened as she was, and she stood again with reluctance…as well as curiosity.

"Why? Why make her stop? Isn't this what you want?" Hyne asked. "I killed your mentor – made my own mother do it, really – and you want her to stop, to spare me? What do you have to gain from it?"

"There's…there's nothing to gain," Ein said, his voice choking up. "He was just…just trying to stop you. He didn't want you to hurt anyone else - that's what w-we all want!"

Hyne barked a short laugh at the young boy's words. "Stop me? Don't you understand? This is my reason for being – death and suffering are as much a part of me as breathing is to you. So…exactly what makes you think that I would want to stop this, even now? What makes you think you didn't just give me a second chance to end everything the way I've always wanted?"

"What have you achieved, killing people for no reason?" Ein asked, looking down. "Taking the cycle of death out of its natural order would destroy the balance, creating a rift so vast that it would swallow whole this entire realm! And at the center of it all, standing alone amidst an empty void, you would be the only one left. Is that what you want?"

He looked up again, his eyes full of pity and sadness.

"Is that really your dream?"

He posed an interesting question, Hyne admitted to herself. On one side, she desired to use the great power she had been given, to destroy and unmake until nothing was left standing but herself. On the other side…

A world…a realm with nothing, with no beings or places to exercise her power upon, would be the very antithesis of what that part of her desired. She would fulfill her desire one single time, and then have no way to ever do so again. It could…it _would_…eventually drive her completely mad.

"It is…and yet, it isn't," she remarked, clasping her hands behind her and turning away from Ein. "You could say that I'm overwhelmed by my desires, little more capable of acting against them than a fish is to swim, or a bird to fly. But…allow me to pose a question."

She turned back around, scrutinizing Ein with a piercing gaze.

"In my position, what would you do?"

Silence returned to the room as Ein's gaze returned to the floor, the young aide contemplating his next words with the utmost care; he believed that what he said could well determine what happened to all of the people in the room, himself included, and he had no desire to see any more bloodshed than he had seen already.

"I…I would try to seek a compromise of power. There must be a way to reach a balance of creation and destruction, between what is and what will be. You could carry out your own desires, but only to the extent that you never end more than what is created, lest you condemn yourself to nothingness."

There was no immediate response from Hyne as she turned and calmly walked away, with Freya keeping careful watch on her the entire time. She had not expected such a change in demeanor from her daughter, and could only speculate as to what Hyne suddenly seemed to find so interesting in the young _Hume _that Katanas had brought with him.

"Compromise."

Hyne spoke the word as if the very idea was anathema to her, such a creature of extremes, as she turned and began to walk back towards Ein.

"Such a troublesome, unfulfilling solution. Out of all the things I've witnessed, it is by far the most confusing. Why compromise, when you can exert your will and gain all that you truly want, instead of only part? And yet…in this case, it seems strangely appropriate."

She stopped, standing in front of Freya, and turned to face the Creator, wearing a strange smile on her face that Freya found she could not read.

"I'll let you judge me, I think. It just wouldn't do to have to miss out on this…curiosity, after all."

Freya said nothing, still wary of her daughter's sudden change in behavior, instead simply deciding to accept the apparent change of heart for the time being.

"Return to your domain, Hyne. I will send for you shortly," Freya told Hyne, causing the Pillar of Finalé to offer a quiet smirk before her body slowly faded away into nothingness, returning to her domain within the plane.

"Well…done."

Ein's eyes widened as he heard Katanas' voice from his slumped position against the wall, badly wounded though he was. He leapt from his spot beside the throne, racing over to Katanas and throwing an arm around him, careful not to hurt him any further. Katanas chuckled quietly, patting Ein on the back gently like a father would his son.

"I knew…I saw potential in you," he said, keeping one hand on where he'd been stabbed as he cast curative magic on the wound. Ein didn't look like he would be letting go anytime soon, and he thought not for the first time about how much the boy looked up to him like a father figure. He was still young, but Katanas knew that he was right – Ein was destined for great things, maybe more so than even he expected.

"I'm proud of you, Ein."

* * *

Wow.

That's really all I can say - with this chapter, Book I finally comes to a close, some 278,000 words and 583 pages in Microsoft Word later. Ever since I started writing this story, I had always hoped that I would be able to finish at least this much, and I've finally managed to do just that. Now, a couple notes about this chapter as well as other things.

Hyne's character is used with permission, and the idea for her character comes from Peptuck's story_ Legacy of the Chimera_, which is a fantastic read that comes highly recommended by both Daniel Wesley Rydell and I - all of Peptuck's stories are notoriously high-quality, and this is no exception. Hyne's character in this story, however, will be quite a bit different from her appearance in that story, especially later on; it almost is to the point where she is a completely different character, but I cannot deny that the original idea for the character is and has been Peptuck's, and for that I sincerely thank him for allowing us to use the character.

This chapter was worked out over a time span of about a solid month, with me working on bits and pieces of it at a time as I tried to puzzle out different ways for it to play out before finally settling on what you see here. This marks only the second time that Katanas is seen fighting - the first was against Albel, some fifty chapters prior - as well as the very first time that Freya is truly seen in combat. My ideas for her fighting style are varied; as the Creator, magic is as natural as breathing to her, and she has the ability to shift between a startling amount of schools and types of magic. Even with the variety of skills at her disposal, however, she has a few areas she tends to lean towards more than others - Ritualist spirits, the same skills that Andréa Beoulve is seen using, Symbology magic like Naoki Ishida's, and skills with a spear taught to her by Odin.

Ein, as one may have guessed, leans much more towards negotiation than combat, seeing fighting as a last resort option and preferring to try and talk down or compromise with his opponents. He is quite capable of fighting, but has a strong disposition against it whenever possible. Most of his involvement in upcoming chapters will be in a similar vein, especially given his position of Garden Commander's aide. It's because of that attitude that Hyne decided to hold off on her plans for the time being; she has found herself very curious as to why Ein acts the way he does, especially given how she nearly killed Katanas minutes before. Anger and resentment, she expected - pleading and insisting that no one truly wanted to hurt her, she did not.

The next chapter will be something entirely different. Instead of immediate continuation of the story, I plan on writing a chapter with commentary from myself, and possibly my co-authors, regarding the 63 chapters contained within Book I, as well as some general thoughts on the _Clouded Horizons_ series itself and other stories for the series that are in the wings. After that will be an interlude chapter, similar to the previous interlude, which will lead into Book II, Outbreak. I've already written quite a bit for this story, but I'm nowhere near finished, and I only hope that I can continue to write until I've finally finished this entire story, no matter how long that may take.

Until next chapter...


	64. Commentary: Book I: Mortal Conflict

Well. 63 chapters later and here we are. The first of three Books within this story is officially done, marking somewhere in-between the one-third and halfway point of the story itself. I use the range roughly, as I don't yet know exactly where the length will end up once the rewriting and editing takes place. It's taken a while to get even this far, but I haven't given up yet, nor do I intend to. This 'chapter,' if you will, is to be the first of three in similar style, detailing my thoughts on each Book of the story itself with a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. However, with this first commentary of sorts, I would like to open with a bit of commentary on _Clouded Horizons _itself.

_**Clouded Horizons**_

Little did I know that years ago, when I first began writing _Destiny's Call _as a spur of the moment thought soon after completing _Final Fantasy X_, that I would find myself caught up in something as expansive as the multiverse my co-authors and I have tried to create with this series. I use the term multiverse because _Clouded Horizons _is not to be just one Realm, but eventually ten realms of our entirely original creation. At the present time, this story will stay the way it is – mostly because I have no desire to try and excise so many plot and story elements at once and leave the readers completely lost – but I do intend to one day go back and rewrite it to be a completely original story. It's an ambitious goal, I know, but one that I've worked on for years now with the co-authors I've come to know as good friends. Without them, this project – and this story, in particular – would almost certainly not exist, and for that, I offer them both my heartfelt thanks.

But enough sappy words – on to more pressing matters.

As said above, the _Clouded Horizons _series will eventually come to encompass ten Realms, and this story along with any one-shot stories set in the same world take place in the Eighth Realm. The canon stories currently posted by my co-authors and I take place in, so far, a total of three of these Realms, as follows:

**Eighth Realm:** _Final Fantasy VIII: Dimensional Legend, Family Rites _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)_, A Question of Honor _(Daniel Wesley Rydell), _Sanctuary_ (Daniel Wesley Rydell)_, Memoirs _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)_, Affinity _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)_, Negotiations _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)

**Ninth Realm:** _The Runic Legacy _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)

**Tenth Realm:** _Final Fantasy X: Destiny's Call/Chronicles of the Chosen, Final Fantasy X-2: Eternal Requiem, Guardian, Foreshadow of Memory _(Daniel Wesley Rydell), _Subtleties of Honor _(Daniel Wesley Rydell)

I will note that these are only the stories which are currently uploaded; there are a total of eight more completed one-shots which have yet to be uploaded that take place in the Eighth Realm, simply because this story has not reached that point yet. There is also a short novella by Iron Reaver and another by me, both set in the Eighth Realm, still in production, and an original story set in the Third Realm that I am currently working on as well. The story for Third Realm, _Clouded Horizons: Halcyon_, may be published on Fictionpress once I feel I have enough material to work with to begin uploading the story, but I haven't made a decision on that as of yet. There's a long way to go, but we still have a lot of material to share with our readers, and we hope that all of you have enjoyed things so far and will enjoy what's yet to come.

Now, I'll begin with my actual commentary on the chapters of Book I, Mortal Conflict.

_**Part I: A Hero's Challenge**_

**Chapter I: March for Glory**

This was the opening of an entirely original arc that I designed to segue into the story proper, specifically where we began our roleplaying at years ago when the story was first conceived. In the beginning, we all began in the world of _Final Fantasy VIII, _but at the end of _Eternal Requiem, _the entire cast was still in Spira and not Gaia, and so something had to be done to bridge the two. Looking back, I see it as kind of a weak opening, as there are lots of things I could've described better or expanded upon in terms of both place description and character interactions, but it serves its purpose of breaking into the story. The first of a few new characters here, Catherine Stone, never appeared in the roleplays, and was designed specifically for this arc – she, along with the rest, may make repeat appearances later on in the story.

**Chapter II: Round One Begins**

The first real action chapter of the story, this had Ben facing off against Catherine for round one. This was intended to show that while Ben, and by extension the rest of the main cast, were very powerful individuals given everything they had experienced, there were plenty of people in Spira who had trained to a high level as well besides them. Catherine was designed as a light blade fighter, well-rounded with melee offense and magical technique both of high skill levels, but with magic aimed more at crippling and status-inflicting rather than pure offense. Some edits that I would like to make include cutting down on the calling of attacks – mostly for flow reasons than anything – and extending the fight a bit, as I feel it was a bit short compared to what it could have been.

**Chapter III: Magical Mayhem**

This chapter had the second round of the tournament, introducing Joshua Bedouin, another character created for this arc. Joshua was intended to be an archetypical mage – weak in melee combat, but with a variety of magic, nearly all of which was of the offensive variety. Most of this fight was designed to be a battle of magic, with each trying to outdo the other with various spells, but I realize that from a purely tactical standpoint, it made less sense to have that than to have Ben trying to stick to melee and exploit that opening, a fact I would like to fix in a revision. Another issue that stands out to me is the fact of who or what Ben saw at the end, after the match; while I don't mind leaving it vague, it comes off now to me as a bit _too_ vague, and would also warrant some fixing.

**Chapter IV: Playing Games**

Round three was featured this chapter, and it opened with Ben finally settling into something resembling calm for the rest of the matches – I intended to show that he had been trying to beat opponents at their own games, which was doing him no good, instead of sticking to a fighting style that worked for him. It also showcased the third of the arc-exclusive characters, Seth Anderson, who was designed to be closest to a Dark Knight from older _Final Fantasy _games than anything, minus the heavy armor. This fight was intended to be shorter than the others – though it could still be extended more, just like the rest – and showcase the difference in Ben's demeanor between the previous rounds and this one. It also saw the return of Darius DeValle, the Lightning Alchemist from _Eternal Requiem _and a Planeswalker of Soul Society_, _who would become the first of a multitude of recurring characters, two more of whom were showcased in this arc.

**Chapter V: Proving Grounds**

This chapter featured both round four and the semifinal round, first against the last arc-exclusive character – Amy Mitsura – and then against Andréa Beoulve, a Planeswalker for Soul Society and longtime friend and associate of Darius. Amy was conceived initially as a hand-to-hand fighter, taking inspiration and techniques from the game _Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, _a game I've enjoyed for years as my co-authors can attest. That fight had a twist in the agreement to make it a hand-to-hand battle, both playing to Amy's strength and back into the pitfall of Ben desiring to beat his opponents at their own games. I intended to make this fight very dependent on maneuvering and timing, but it didn't work out as well as it was planned to.

Andréa, conversely, had a much different fighting style, using a mix of swordplay, kicks, and magic that drew from another game, _Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. _This fighting style would eventually shift after this fight to a more magically-based one as she embraced the arts of the _Ritualist_, still keeping her mid-to-close range preference. Overall, I was more pleased with her portion of the chapter, but an inconsistency or two snuck through that I still need to fix – namely, Ben reclaiming his sword after his _Overdrive._

**Chapter VI: All or Nothing**

This chapter showcased the final round of the tournament, as well as the twist to the plot arc intended to open the story with the appearance of the Forsaken. Inspiration for the Forsaken themselves came from the game _Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, _where they exist in similar fashion as monsters that few encounter and even fewer understand. The fight itself was primarily designed to introduce one of the remaining 'main' characters for the story, Liam Bayloh, otherwise known as Angel, a Planeswalker for the Ethereal Plane. With that, there was a Planeswalker from each major plane of the Eighth Realm present for events, which was unintended but an interesting occurrence in hindsight. One major change I intend to make if and when I rewrite the chapter is using Angel's actual name in introduction; while he was more commonly referred to by his nickname, it only makes sense for him to have his actual name on registration. Being a vampire, or a _Vayash Moru _as termed by the three of us, he has incredible amounts of endurance and stamina, not to mention roughly two centuries of experience as a Planeswalker, and would have easily beaten Ben had the fight not been interrupted.

The use of _Scan _magic on the Forsaken that arrive brought up an interesting question to me, in hindsight – why wouldn't Ben use it on the people he was fighting? The answer to that is that he would have simply overlooked the very idea; even after all this time, he still thinks in terms of things being a game, at least in part, and would naturally only think to use it on fiends, mostly because there are really no humans that are fought in the actual games that serve as the setting for the previous two stories besides Shuyin.

Also, in retrospect, this is probably the only time that Darius is ever seen in melee combat – he prefers his guns above all else – not to mention that he told Ben that he owes him a favor. I intend for that to come back in some form later on.

_Daniel Wesley Rydell (DWR):  
_  
The idea behind Liam is simple, as he was originally heavily based on the character Angel from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and the spinoff _Angel_. While a lot of his back-story will be focused on in coming chapters, as of this point the idea was to show that he was a warrior, and while Ben had been fighting and winning (albeit by the seat of his pants), there was a battle he could not win, at least not at the level of expertise that he currently was at.

**Chapter VII: Forsaken**

Chapter seven prompted the realization that things are a bit worse than initially expected – Bevelle and Macalania are both under attack, being the two closest to the Calm Lands, already effectively occupied by the fiends. This was also one of the first times, if not the first time, where Ben used his abilities as a Planeswalker; at this point, however, he did not understand exactly what they were, instead mistaking them for simple teleportation. It also explained the nature of the Forsaken and where they came from, which was something that took me a while to come up with a good explanation for. As they aren't typical fiends as seen in present-day Spira, I went with the idea that they were not created from strong feelings like other monsters, but from the very energy of death itself. Initially, they were territorial yet confined mostly to the outskirts of the Calm Lands, staying away from population, but the years after Sin's appearance caused large amounts of death and destruction that they fed on, creating more of themselves and increasing in power and hostility until they started coming into conflict with the populace. Eventually, after being sealed away in King Agamand's castle, what few were not sealed wound up dead as a result of the Spiran populace around Bevelle and the Calm Lands, as well as wandering Sinspawn or other powerful fiends.

**Chapter VIII: Into the Abyss**

This chapter served as the introduction to the castle itself, and was supposed to be big on atmosphere and dungeon-crawling. It falls short of my expectations now, given the short length and a glaring error or two, most notably the dead bodies in the chamber, which would have decayed long before present time, no matter the preservation state of the castle. That will eventually be changed to be bodies of civilians taken from the Calm Lands and brought back to the castle soon before entry. The fight with Larazon itself was designed to be simple and quick, as despite the adviser's Unsent nature, he was not much of a fighter in life, only clinging to the desire to leave the castle that he was unfortunately trapped in.

**Chapter IX: All Is Twilight**

More castle-delving filled this chapter, and things were mostly straightforward as far as content goes. Some things I would like to go back and elaborate on include why there were so few Forsaken in the castle proper, as well as why Malthorious and his minions seemed to simply be waiting for us to arrive. The first is simply because most of the fiends were outside, on the attack, while the second issue is due to the fact that he and the other fiends were grouping for an attack against the rallied forces outside. The Spectral Dragon fight was a fight that would've been entirely avoided, had circumstances been better – having to find keys to a magical door was a hitch in the plan neither Angel nor Ben expected, and Ben deciding to run instead of fight only made sense, when everyone was fighting for their lives outside. Staying to fight would've been a stupid move, only putting more people in danger, and that was something that even he realized.

**Chapter X: Fate's Hand**

Upon first look, I realize now that some of my formatting was messed up; apparently, question marks and exclamation points can no longer exist beside each other, which will have to be fixed. This chapter was split between fighting the 'boss' of the Forsaken, as well as the realization that Ben had a higher calling for his duties as a Planeswalker, duties which he was still not fully aware of. One thing I will explain here, now that our canon is solidified more, is just why Ben began in the Tenth Realm as opposed to the Eighth Realm, since he was chosen to be a Planeswalker for that realm.

In essence, the decision was Freya's at the core of it all. Earth itself is a part of the First Realm, which houses a variety of beings and serves as a sort of repository for resources the Authors may utilize as part of their own creations, whether in whole or part. Consequently, it often serves as a place where Authors or Ancients look for potential Planeswalkers; there is another Planeswalker of the Ethereal Plane who has not been mentioned yet who is also from Earth. Freya did not feel that Ben would be ready to assume duties as a Planeswalker if initially brought to the Eighth Realm, so she deigned to ask the Author of the Eighth Realm for assistance. An agreement was worked out with the Author of the Tenth Realm for Ben to be tested in their Realm, as they expressed interest in Freya's intentions, and then for Ben to either be sent back to Earth if not suitable for the task or brought to Eighth Realm if found worthy; the fayth Bahamut was used as a liaison of sorts between the two during these events. Thus, the events of _Destiny's Call _happened. At this point, Freya believed she had seen enough to make a decision, but it would be on the decisions of her advisers as well as Will to allow Ben to continue being tested. The events of _Eternal Requiem _then took place, and Freya would make the decision afterwards to accept him as an Ethereal Planeswalker, sending Angel to Tenth Realm to retrieve him. Angel, however, wanted to test Ben himself, and so entered the tournament after realizing that he would be entering as well.

The pacing of this chapter needed to be slowed down a bit, however; I could've done a lot more with the dialogue than I did by expanding the fayth's explanation and the conversation between Angel and Ben.

**Chapter XI: Journey**

This chapter was designed to serve as the actual bridging event between the opening of _Dimensional Legend _and the rest of the story. The fayth was the one to transport the ship itself to Gaia, but a sufficiently powerful Planeswalker could be able to do so as well, albeit with a considerable expenditure of magical energy and a long period of rest afterwards. The descriptions were a bit concise, mostly because I was making an assumption that people reading this story would have played _Final Fantasy VIII _and wouldn't need to have everything spelled out for them, but I would like to go back and redo descriptions in this chapter with that assumption cast aside, as it has turned out to be an incorrect assumption. One big note that I made is that while Squall's team would likely be the ones to come out and investigate, especially given the nature of the appearance, Squall's office was the location of the meeting; given SeeD protocol, a briefing room or other neutral location within Garden, under careful watch, would make more sense.

Another potential anomaly that may have been noticed – why was Angel's car at Balamb Garden? The answer is, simply put, the most obvious one. Angel has been a SeeD operative for many years now, a member of Balamb Garden since soon after the organization was founded and presently a temporary Instructor at Trabia Garden. At Balamb, he was an Instructor and a senior field operative, and participated in the field exam at Dollet under the command of Xu Xucai. The Headmaster, Cid Kramer, is one of the few people in the Garden organization who knows about Angel in great detail; the Headmaster is aware of the fact that Angel is a _Vayash Moru, _as well as a Planeswalker, and has heard stories about his past that Angel has felt comfortable confiding in few others. As a note, only a few other people in Balamb Garden are aware of that information – Xu and Squall know that Angel is both a _Vayash Moru _and a Planeswalker, while the rest of Squall's team, referred to as "First Team" and serving a role as Balamb Garden's special operations force, know that he is a _Vayash Moru _only.

_DWR:_

Liam has fairly strong ties to Balamb, as discussed in later chapters. He considers Xu to be a personal friend, and Cid a mentor as well as a friend. The "First Team" analogy is a nod to an author on ff net by the name of gietzeng, but in our case is used as one of a number of special operations teams, which each of the Gardens have.

**Chapter XII: Arrival**

The goal of this chapter was to showcase Trabia Garden and some of the new layout, and it is one of the few times that I wished that I could draw with any decency, because drawing a floor layout of the three floors of the Garden would help immensely even now as I write the story. This is one of the chapters which I feel would deserve a total rework, because I would like to go back and have such a layout as mentioned above before writing it so that I could give a better feel for the size of the Garden and the locations within. Trabia Garden, as noted in the chapter, is not so much just a single compound as an entire complex, given the overhauls done to both the main Garden and additions made by the Headmaster. Accommodations had to be made for an aircraft hangar to house the White Knights' airship fleet, as well as other hangars and buildings for the small detachment of mechanized infantry and armored units belonging to the Blue Knights. I could go into much more detail regarding Trabia Garden's enhanced forces, but much of that information can be found on our _Clouded Horizons _wiki, which has a link in my profile. Suffice it to say that Trabia now sports a vastly enhanced campus, with the main Garden structure still retaining the flight ability of the other Gardens while leaving the rest stationary, and is capable of fielding small amounts of air and naval forces, as well as large amounts of regular SeeD forces backed by vehicular and artillery support. Darius DeValle, Sr. desired his investment protected, and is a firm believer in the idea that money spent protecting his holdings is money well-spent.

_DWR:_

You'd be surprised how _well_ it is protected… /ominous

**Chapter XIII: Exploration and Experiences**

Here, I intended to explain a bit about a major mechanic within _Final Fantasy VIII – _namely, the use of Guardian Forces and junctioning. The fight with Shiva is subpar now, in my opinion, but I still have no qualms with my explanation of junctioning, which was my favorite part of the chapter to write and one of my favorite parts up to that point. While you never see anyone in-game learning to junction, there has to be some kind of explanation to it, and it is likely not as easy for an average person to learn as detailed here; Ben's ability to pick it up quickly comes from the fact that he has been using magic for quite some time, and would naturally have an easier time understanding the concepts as opposed to a fresh cadet within Garden.

**Chapter XIV: Higher Powers**

A lot of this chapter was spent introducing the concept of the outer planes, in this case, the Ethereal Plane. Some of the dialogue here needs to be reworked, as we only had one outer plane when this chapter was originally written, but it was expanded as of the present to have three. The form of address that Kisara uses towards Freya is also a bit outdated, but that in itself is simply a personal case; Freya has many forms of address from many beings in the plane, depending on the one addressing her. The Holy Stones themselves were initially meant to have a more involved subplot, but I eventually decided upon leaving it as a relatively minor piece…at least, until the very last chapter of this Book brought back the Aries stone from some forty-odd chapters back, anyway.

_DWR:_

As later portrayed, each of the Pillars on occasion refer to the Creator as "Mother" or its variant.

_**Part II: The Zodiac Brave Story**_

**Chapter I: Between Heaven and Earth**

This chapter marked the true opening of the subplot containing the Holy Stones, and showed a bit more about Kisara, the Divine Magus from the previous chapter. Kisara is somewhat young by Ethereal standards, and while she has the best intentions in mind more often than not, she can be somewhat impulsive in her execution. Kisara also has a history with Katanas that goes back quite a few years, to be detailed more in Iron Reaver's _Trial by Fire, _but they're close acquaintances and have been for some time. Kisara is, in actuality, the first outer planar being that Katanas met, and originally met with him to ask him to become a Planeswalker under Freya.

It also shows a bit of what Revolver DeValle, the middle brother, can do in combat. While Revolver is known first and foremost for his blacksmithing talents, which are considered very high quality both throughout Garden and elsewhere in the Trabia and Esthar regions, he is still a member of SeeD and not to be taken lightly. Revolver being older, stronger, and more experienced than Ben, combined with Ben's still-impulsive nature, meant that the fight was one-sided almost from the start.

**Chapter II: Out of Phase**

Almost this entire chapter, it seems, was spent introducing new characters, which could have been spread out more in hindsight. A total of six new characters were introduced, with a seventh – Mystique – named, and I feel that it was far too much to introduce in a single chapter. Overall, the only truly important parts of this chapter were the pieces with Zeo Conrad and Mystique speaking, as well as Kisara and Will's conversation.

_DWR:_

Will's first appearance, as my memory serves. The odd one out of the Pillar bunch; he has both pacifistic tendencies and an intense loyalty to Freya. He was created as an offset to the evil Pillars, but even he has his own skeletons in the closet which will be discussed in due time.

**Chapter III: Confrontation**

This chapter showed more of what was to be the Holy Stones subplot, with one of the Holy Stones getting taken from its previous owner and another being discovered, but unclaimed. Seeker, as a note, is the person that Zeo Conrad was speaking to after Mystique left in the previous chapter, and should more properly be called _the _Time Alchemist, as he is and has been unique to my recollection. The chapter also introduced Albel Nox, essentially the same as he is in the game _Star Ocean: Till the End of Time_, as the foremost _Symbology _instructor at Trabia Garden. Albel is the kind to intimidate with his mere presence, let alone the power and prowess he shows in combat, and I tried to make a point of showing that here.

**Chapter IV: Fated**

With this chapter, the real aims of this arc began to unfold. Notably, the idea that Destine was up to no good was first seen here, in the eighteenth chapter, while her plans didn't begin unfolding for another twenty or thirty chapters. However, the real point of the chapter was the introduction of the first major villain in the form of Fayt, youngest of the Pillars of Reality. Fayt's plan was, all along, to take over Freya's position as Creator, but that shifted slightly when Freya brought Ben into the Eighth Realm. Fayt immediately, and wrongfully, assumed that Ben had been brought there to stop her, and decided to take out the perceived "chosen one." She didn't care about who or what she might have to hurt or otherwise remove from her path to do that; everything and everyone was potentially expendable or acceptable collateral damage. This also serves to prove that outer plane beings like Fayt, while powerful, as not as infallible as one might consider someone with their power.

_DWR:_

Destine, in the original arc, did not show up. This was entirely Fayt's show. When putting pen to paper, it was decided to make sure that Destine's own overarching master plan was hinted at, even in the smallest way during this arc. She was devious, and ridiculously fun to help Ben write, and the fact that Will saw what was happening really lent credence to the fact that he is not perfect, as he may have been able to stop her plans at that point.

**Chapter V: Down to Business**

This chapter was somewhat short, and served to elaborate a bit on two specific details – Alchemy, as mentioned in the previous chapter at the end, as well as Ben's background before _Destiny's Call. _Alchemy would get a much more in-depth explanation and demonstration in the pair of _Dawn of Wisdom _chapters yet to come. Ben's background here is kept short, simple, and rather matter-of-fact; these are all issues that he has more or less dealt with by this point, and he doesn't feel bad explaining them, but typically would only explain if asked about as noted in the chapter itself. Also featured here at the end is Zeo making arrangements to meet the Senior – his intentions were, originally, to try and maneuver the Senior into a deal that would be greatly profitable for himself, his business, and his family, but as can be seen in the next chapter, it turned out nothing like how he envisioned.

**Chapter VI: Transactions**

The opening of this chapter was set to prove one simple fact – the Senior is a shrewd businessman, but if he wants something, force is a perfectly acceptable substitute for business dealings in his book. I'm mostly pleased by this opening scene, but would love to make a few minor tweaks to some of the dialogue. Also, one thing that was not made entirely clear either here or elsewhere – Senior's vanishing act is because he is _also _a Planeswalker, specifically for the Ethereal Plane. I intended to have his name added to the running list of Planeswalkers in-story during a later chapter, but discovered that I left it out upon rereading it to write this commentary.

The second part of this was aimed at bringing some of the main and supporting cast together, finally – Naoki's group finally arrives at Trabia, along with Silvia Conrad, who is also a relatively important character later. Silvia is a childhood friend of Darius', and at this point has not seen him in quite some time, so she was eager to get a chance to talk to him again while he has a break from Garden and business duties.

Finally, a brief scene showed that Freya has been aware of Kisara's dealings the entire time, informing Will of that fact herself. While Freya isn't omnipotent, she does have ways of keeping track of events in the mortal plane, and Kisara's decision would certainly not have gone unnoticed by her, especially given that she has also kept track of the Holy Stones over the decades to make sure that no grave misuse comes to the artifacts. Freya's initial intention for leaving the Stones in the mortal plane, as well, could be seen as a sort of test of character for the _Hume _race as a whole. She is an idealist at heart and truly believes that mortal beings have the best intentions in mind most of the time, and so decided to put that idea to a practical test lasting centuries. At this point, however, she has been conversing with Will about the Holy Stones themselves and potential upcoming dangers, and has decided to bring them back to the Ethereal Plane at least for a time.

_DWR:_

The idea of the Senior has always fascinated me. In the basest sense, he's a businessman. This really showed what lengths he was willing to go to ensure that his "business," whatever he may decide it is, will be handled in whatever way is necessitated. Also, it's noted in _A Question of Honor_ that the Pandora Café is owned by the DeValle family. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but this would've been something the Senior probably could've planned, if the ownership of the Café was not well known.

**Chapter VII: Fortitude**

The entire first half of this chapter focused on Darius; more specifically, a small piece of why his personality is the way it is. The flashback itself was, as memory serves, written by Iron Reaver; the person accompanying Darius in the flashback is Lindsey Geneave, who gets mentioned again much later in Part IV, _Dissension in the Ranks. _Darius used to be just a normal kid, but watching his then-girlfriend get killed in front of him changed his personality dramatically to the point where he did anything that he could to hide from his pain, and that meant getting involved with his father's less-savory business dealings, since the focus and thought required to outwit and outmaneuver those on the other side of the table kept his mind off of everything that had happened that day. This brings up a question – how did Lindsey die that day, and yet remain alive for the KP-X project to begin? I won't disclose that in this commentary, as it ties into plot points for the upcoming arc that I don't want to get into yet.

The rest of the chapter dealt with smaller points – Naoki's group, in their search for information, hits a dead end and decides to take the only possible way around it by joining Garden. There were other motives behind their decisions, mostly the educational benefits from joining and learning more about Garden, which I did not go into and wish that I had elaborated on more as well. Also dealt with in this chapter is Kisara's disobeying of Freya's orders, which leads to Kisara being confined to the Ethereal Plane until otherwise stated. Freya is not one to dole out harsh punishments to someone who was acting in an attempt to protect, such as what Kisara was attempting, and so she chose a simple punishment that would give Kisara time to consider her actions and learn from them.

_DWR:_

The idea that I hope we get to elaborate on in the future is how incredible the Garden Network educational system is. In Final Fantasy VIII, it's shown to be a simple mercenary academy. The idea that we have is again another nod to gietzeng, in that Garden trains no fools. The two tracks that students can follow are the purely educational track where they receive education in history, mathematics, language, arts, and whatever extra-curricular activities they wanted to flesh out their education. Those students who were interested in becoming mercenaries would have the ability to choose early on in their education, but would still receive the same education regardless.

**Chapter VIII: Heart and Soul**

This was mostly a filler chapter to advance the plot a bit, showing several different situations here – Will recovering one of the Holy Stones, the beginning of exams and classes at Trabia, and Destine undermining Fayt's position by a large margin. Will is, in everything he does, a pacifist by nature, and it showed here as he quickly and harmlessly removed the Virgo Holy Stone from Zeo Conrad's grasp. Will is just as capable as any of the other Pillars in terms of overall ability, but rarely displays any of his abilities in any situation, preferring to remain a bystander unless there is absolutely no other choice. He serves as a sort of third advisor to Freya, using his powers as the Pillar of the Future to see the myriad possibilities in the flow of time and avert massive calamities. Interfering directly is not something he does; instead, he tries to make events that would otherwise have disastrous outcomes shift for the better, events which are typically exceedingly rare. His interference here is not a result of his own visions, but of the order given to him by Freya to do so.

The piece at Trabia was designed to show a bit more of an average day – or start to an average day – of training to become a SeeD. Most of initial SeeD training isn't focused on things like magic, Guardian Forces, or combat, but is instead more like boot camp in normal military – lots of physical training, tactics, education, and cohesive team-building. Learning to be a disciplined soldier, just like in the real military, is the first step to becoming a SeeD officer, and is intended to weed out those who don't have the physical or mental ability to truly do so. For those who aren't up to the normal SeeD specializations, though, Trabia Garden offers other courses in subjects like economic or political studies that can have just as large an effect as being a front-line combatant in the world stage.

Destine and Fayt, as the third part clearly shows, don't get along well. They are the two "youngest" Pillars, relatively speaking, and Fayt has long felt that she is overshadowed by her two sisters and brother – an incorrect assumption, as Fayt has duties as a Pillar which are just as important as the others, but one which she holds nonetheless. That feeling is a large portion of what is driving her to take over Freya's position, in fact. She wants recognition, and feels that the only way she can get it is to be the one in charge. Destine, however, has her own motives, and at this point is tired of putting up with Fayt's attitude in order to achieve her own goals.

_DWR:_

Having the animosity between two Pillars who by-and-large want the same thing was a plot addition. Not everyone who wants the same thing wants it done the same way, and Destine is more subtle in her plans then Fayt, and for the most part doesn't respect the way that Fayt is handling herself through these matters. In a way, she was trying to assist by showing Fayt that she truly was powerless… though the lesson wasn't quite learned.

**Chapter IX: Decisions**

Most of this chapter was just setup for later events, especially the piece with Will, which would come back a full forty chapters later to show what happened to the Aries Stone that Darius managed to keep. The confrontation with Will and Darius was designed to show that Darius doesn't like letting go of things that he owns – once it's his, it takes extraordinary circumstances to get him to let it go without gaining something of equal or greater value in return. Will, however, knew this, and wasn't exactly fooled by the switch; he had already foreseen that letting Darius keep the Stone would eventually lead to Katanas holding it, which would come in handy and likely save his life much later against Hyne. Thus, he allowed Darius to keep the Stone, keeping this fact from even Freya in the process.

Destine and Fayt's part was also made to show a simple fact – both of them, while Pillars and Ethereal beings supposedly above such things, can be rather petty and childish when it comes right down to it. Neither of them, as stated before, had much love for the other at that time, and Destine enjoyed the idea of rubbing her superiority in Fayt's face. Fayt, now realizing that she has lost a significant amount of power – and being on the mortal plane would limit her even more, due to the planar restrictions on outer planar beings – decides here to follow a time-honored rule of villainy: get minions to do your work for you.

In the last piece, it mostly just shows what Angel has been doing since returning from Spira. Not having any Garden missions or instructing duties to take care of yet, he's merely been relaxing and spending time with associates and friends of his. Locke Cole will have a somewhat bigger role later, but at the moment he is more of a supporting character. Incidentally, some of the dialogue here needs to be fixed; Freya is only the Creator of the Ethereal Plane, not the creator of the Eighth Realm itself in the canon at present, and that needs to be updated to reflect it.

_DWR: _

Will carefully plans and often makes decisions based on what he thinks is the best outcome.

**Chapter X: The Dawn of Wisdom, Part I**

This chapter was the first multi-part chapter that was written, and the only one so far to not be an arc finale. The reason for that is because I wanted to spend a good amount of time setting up the ideas and principles behind Alchemy, something which will be seen again and again throughout the story, as many of the main characters are alchemists in some form. The basic ideas of Alchemy in _Dimensional Legend _are the same as they appear in the anime _Fullmetal Alchemist_, for any familiar with the series. Alchemy is a very precise art; one must have an exacting idea of what they want to achieve with most Alchemy techniques to have it accomplish the intended effect. Katanas' class here is designed to expand a bit upon the three basic principles of Alchemy – Analysis, Destruction, and Creation – as well as the principle of equivalent exchange, which is actually mentioned in the next chapter, not to mention showcase a bit of Katanas' own teaching style. As one of the main Alchemy instructors for the Garden, being among the most experienced with the art, he teaches any and all of the upper-level courses that he has time for, leaving the others to senior instructors.

**Chapter XI: The Dawn of Wisdom, Part II**

The rest of the Alchemy lecture was displayed here, explaining about equivalent exchange in particular and the ability to substitute mana for materials in transmutations. In the source material, materials are the only thing usable in transmutations, but here we have a source of malleable magical energy to use, and it seemed only fitting to allow that to be used in its place. Fayt's intentions from two chapters prior were also made clear here, as she began to use fiends in place of her own abilities while she attempted to regain strength. Not being one to leave well enough alone, normal fiends are not good enough for someone like Fayt – combining aspects of fiends suits her fancy more than simple numbers or power. Her second intention here was to attempt to attack Ben psychologically by mentally manipulating Rikku; this shows up later as Rikku breaks up their relationship without warning, albeit under duress. That is something that should have been made a little clearer, but I felt that the way things transpired later should have given readers the hint that the breakup wasn't exactly normal after the events here.

**Chapter XII: Interdiction**

This chapter saw the reintroduction of Mystique, the water-controlling thief from the early chapters of this arc. Her meeting with Katanas would showcase two primary points – first, that she is the head of the organization known as the Royal Thieves Guild, a group based in Esthar specializing in black market trading and high-value thievery, and secondly, that Katanas often relies on any and every potential ally in order to get information and get things done. Katanas came to know Mystique around the time that she joined the Guild, and kept ties with her even as she worked in the criminal underworld in Esthar and elsewhere. There was also a fleeting mention of Vector Industries, a name that would come back in Destine's arc some time later.

Tying in to the previous, it also showcased a bit about the Royal Thieves Guild themselves, with their main base of operations being under the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Esthar proper. Much like SeeD, the Guild sometimes contracts their members out to others in order to gain profits and connections, and such is the reason why they were working with Zeo Conrad to go after the Holy Stones. Freya's removal of the Stones, however, shot holes in their contract, forcing Mystique to renege on the deal. Mystique, ever the thief, decides to reimburse only part of the fee as well, as she knows that even Zeo Conrad would never go after a group like hers, especially when four of the ranking members are all high-level and well-known Alchemists.

Darius' study at the end of the chapter also illustrates another point about his character. While he is a Planeswalker, he does not care as much about the affairs or even existence of the other planes, as he prefers to attend to business affairs and use his Planeswalker status to help with that. He knows of the Pillars' existence, but only in passing, and gained most of the knowledge he has at the present time from Katanas as a result of Fayt and Destine's actions in their respective arcs.

**Chapter XIII: State of Affairs**

The opening of this chapter was something that never happened in the original story's creation, but which was only logical and warranted given the circumstances – a formal debriefing. Something such as the events which happened outside of Garden would warrant further investigation, and the events therein would almost certainly need to be classified given the true meaning behind them. I'm pleased with the way it was written, but would like to add a bit more dialogue to it for description's sake. One thing that this introduces that gets more explanation later, as memory serves, is the idea of a more expanded central command for Trabia Garden, that being the Republic of the Sphere. Albel serves as, effectively, Katanas' second-in-command with regards to military matters, and the Paladins of the Sphere – Ellie, Camdus, Onimaru, and Anita – serve as high-level advisors and commanders of their own branches of Trabia's less-specialized military, such as the general infantry and aerial forces.

The scene with Rikku in the classroom was meant to interject a little much-needed humor, as well as to show that something wasn't quite right after her little run-in with Fayt, despite all appearances. I wish that I had done more scenes like it to make the point a little clearer instead of letting it hang throughout the following chapters, however.

**Chapter XIV: Forward unto Dawn**

This was a very simple chapter, focusing mainly on Andréa and Ben as they fought off another of Fayt's creations. Of note is that Andréa's style has shifted dramatically since the opening of the story, as she has picked up the basics of an entirely new fighting style based around summoning magic known as _Ritualist_ arts. As background for the story, the three of us desired to have a way to somehow compare characters numerically and in other aspects to determine relative power between characters, especially between different races, and so we began creating an entire class and level system to use as background information while writing. Some of it was taken from the _Final Fantasy _series, such as _Black Mage_ or _White Mage_, while some were created out of nothing as completely original ideas. _Ritualist_ arts are, as stated above, primarily designed around summoning spirits that perform various functions, ranging from simple attacking to defending the user or other spirits, as well as a few Lightning-elemental spells that can restore health or mana to the user or their spirits. It leans a bit more towards magical combat, but can stand decently in melee. By comparison, Ben's _Blade Knight_ class is one that focuses on sword techniques and throwing knives, as well as a small amount of enhancing magic and Lightning and Wind-elemental spells. It is almost completely melee-focused, but is fairly weak defensively, and relies on staying offensive at all times.

The ending portion shows Will finally confronting Fayt about her actions, and trying to play the voice of reason in a more direct way. He knows that Fayt's plans can only end in failure, and is willing to warn her and give her a chance to give up while she still has time. Fayt, however, is both easily frustrated and stubborn, and thinks that Will is just underestimating her like everyone else.

**Chapter XV: Divine Intervention**

Somewhere around this chapter and the next few leading up to the finale of this arc is where I really feel like I settled into a good style and became truly comfortable writing this story. With this chapter comes the first true mention of Planeswalkers and their background, as well as the idea that the _Ancient_ beings presiding over the planes and realms may be playing a far larger game than originally realized. The opening part showcases one issue in particular – namely, that Freya has a rather low level of popularity and respect at the present time, mostly due to past decisions but also in part by her continual unwillingness to act and show a firm hand. At the present time, the Ethereal Plane has been through a major war known as the Harrowing, described in a later chapter in a bit more detail by Etchel Beoulve, and Freya made decisions during and after the Harrowing that she still regrets. Exiling the Gilead Order's leader was foremost among those, both because of the apparent necessity and her respect for Nicholai, as well as the fact that it solved almost nothing in the long run, instead creating more problems that led to the Gilead Order being disbanded and Destine eventually revolting against her. The plane itself is still going through turmoil, and the only reason more of that isn't evident is because of Odin's attempts to calm people and keep the peace at present.

The next section introduces a character used with permission from Peptuck's story _Ronin_; while not canon to our storyline, the concept is very interesting, and Daniel Wesley Rydell decided to ask whether we could feature Shiro Matsuda in our own story. Shiro is, in both stories, a very shrewd businessman as leader of the Green Dragons, and in our canon is able to outmaneuver even the Senior consistently. Senior has spread himself and his assets a bit thin over time, and an ongoing rivalry with Galbadia's Deling family hasn't helped the matter, leaving him with great difficulty in keeping pace with someone like Shiro. Darius Jr., however, has taken it upon himself as a sort of personal challenge to play Shiro's game, and as can be seen here, is not averse to walking straight into the figurative lion's den to get things done. Asking Shiro to hire Seifer for a delivery is simply good logic on Darius' part; he knows who Seifer was due to his links with Garden, and who Seifer _is _due to his links to the underworld. If anyone is up for running a delivery around Esthar – a place with multiple crime families and organizations like the Royal Thieves Guild – then Seifer Almasy is that man. Not only is Seifer's reputation itself a "keep away" sign for most would-be thieves, but his new reputation as second-in-command of the largest crime family in Esthar serves to keep away just about anyone else.

Fayt, here, has also finally gotten over her temper tantrum of sorts, and has decided that she needs to take a step back and regroup. Using the Ethereal Plane to restore their energy is more difficult than doing so in Soul Society, which is designed at least partially for that reason, but is certainly doable for most Ethereal beings.

Freya, also, has finally decided to get down to business and put a stop to Fayt's meddling. Notice, if you will, that Freya told Kisara to protect just "Planeswalkers of Gaia's twenty-first order." This means not just Ethereal Planeswalkers, but _all _Planeswalkers. Freya is taking a precaution here with the idea that Fayt may attack another plane's charge and start more trouble than needed – she wants to keep any issues confined to the Ethereal Plane's denizens if possible.

_DWR:_

I was very pleased when we were able to tribute Peptuck in this manner. Shiro Matsuda was a well fleshed-out character, and using him, even in the small way that we did is fantastic. While he's not a main character in this story, I think it's safe to say that his later appearance isn't the last time we see him.

**Chapter XVI: Risky Business**

Most of this chapter was devoted to showing off one particular character, and it was great fun to write all the way through. Seifer Almasy, as mentioned above, is Shiro Matsuda's second-in-command, an ex-SeeD and Sorceress Knight, and overall one of the most badass people in the entire world, only really outclassed by Squall and his comrades. The four lead members of the Royal Thieves Guild are certainly skilled Alchemists and overall good fighters, but compared to Seifer Almasy…well, to be blunt, they're like children.

One of the things I've striven for is to keep a firm balance between the characters in the already-established canon(s) for _Final Fantasy VIII _and _Final Fantasy X_, and the new characters added into this story. While a lot of the new characters are powerful, when it gets down to it, the canon characters still have more overall ability than any of them. Some of the new characters might be better in some aspects than the canon characters, which simply comes down to flaws of each and every character, but you won't suddenly see things like Darius or Ben taking down Squall in a fight. The canon characters are, and will remain, ahead of the original characters 99% of the time.

Seifer, despite not being SeeD, still holds true to one of their core tenets – they always get the job done, and Seifer is no exception. While he seems to love antagonizing Squall and the others, as well as more or less anyone who crosses his path and says something even slightly out of line, he doesn't have any such quarrel with Angel – his thoughts here are more along the line of "get in, deliver the package, be done with it."

_DWR:_

Seifer is, and will remain one of my favorite characters. The decision to include him was an easy one because of his combat ability and tenacity as displayed in _Ronin_. He impressed some of the other characters in this chapter. While his part here is minor, his role later in the story is fairly substantial, as he impressed some people in this chapter.

**Chapter XVII: Heavenly Gambit, Part I**

This chapter was the first of what was _intended _to be a two-part finale, but wound up being three parts instead; the writing kind of got away from me when I started putting fingers to keyboard, but it didn't wind up being a bad thing in my book. A lot of this chapter's opening and middle was dedicated to just showing conversation, between Angel and his class as well as Angel and Ben later. It also gives a tidbit or two about Angel in the midst – namely, that he is two hundred and thirty seven years old, thanks to being a _Vayash Moru, _as well as his status as a former Balamb SeeD and current adjunct instructor for Trabia. Like Angel stated, he did roughly average in the test to become an Instructor, and only really did it because of the situation with Trabia's rebuilding.

After that, everything starts to fall apart as Fayt decides to finally show her face, effortlessly overpowering both Angel and Ben before Katanas shows up to assist. A note here, as well: some outer plane beings, those being _Malakh, Daiesthai, Erudite, _and _Ancients, _are normally limited in the amount of power they are able to exert while on the mortal plane, to prevent undue influence on the magical forces at work in the world. _Malakh _and _Daiesthai _are functionally limited to about forty percent of their strength, with _Erudite _limited to twenty-five percent at most and sometimes more for beings such as the Pillars, and _Ancients _forced to restrain nearly the entirety of their power in order to remain on the mortal plane. The other three races, _Hume, Vayash Moru, _and _Quincy_, are not limited at all, as the former two are still effectively mortal in terms of strength and _Quincy _rarely, if ever leave Soul Society unless they are being reborn.

Katanas also shows here that he has possession of the Aries Stone, taunting Fayt with the fact; in reality, Fayt still has little to worry about from Katanas, with or without the Zodiac Stone, but it would have improved their chances somewhat as long as they remained on the mortal plane.

_DWR:_

Don't remember if it was stated earlier, but Angel's car is customized by a number of people inside and outside the Garden Network, and is referenced some in _A Question of Honor_. He originally also had a motorcycle… but I think we did away with that. The Angelmobile used to have an AI… but we _really_ won't talk about that. Assume it was bad, and we'll leave it at that.

**Chapter XVIII: Heavenly Gambit, Part II**

This chapter continued the fight that last chapter started, albeit with the addition of Kisara soon after as she realizes what is happening. Informing Freya was a necessary diversion, and Kisara knew that Katanas would be able to help hold Fayt off until she could arrive. In reality, even with all four of them, if would still not be enough to beat Fayt in a straight fight, at least in terms of power. Fayt prefers to play with status magic and debilitating effects, choosing to cripple her enemies to make them easy to push over rather than trying to beat them with a contest of force, and it shows with the variety of magic she uses. Poisoning, paralyzing, and slowing are three of her favorite ways to mess with foes, and redirecting attacks back to the attacker is also something that she enjoys. The fight also shows off a tiny bit of what Kisara can do in terms of offense, preferring Holy-element magic and spells that also often have side effects associated with them, as well as Ben trying out some of his basic Alchemy talent. Kisara, also, had no idea of what really went on behind closed doors during the Harrowing, which is what Fayt refers to here. Freya had all but decided to pass the mantle of Creator on to one of her advisors before they talked her down following the war, feeling unfit to lead after an event that she felt she was responsible for starting.

Fayt's departure was meant to be sudden and swift, much like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. The one she was sensing was Destine, in fact, and her reason for leaving was that she was somewhat afraid that Destine had come to kill her or otherwise remove her from her own plans, feeling that she had outlived her usefulness.

The ending of the chapter shows a pivotal moment for Ben – he finally gets to see Freya, whom the fayth had been mentioning, in person, as well as the Ethereal Plane that has chosen him to be a Planeswalker. Along with that, he finally gets to learn part of just what his chosen status entails, as well as that Angel also shares that status. In meeting Freya, he has some preconceived notions about her given that her status is more or less what he would consider a goddess; he is initially of the idea that she must see and know everything, falling into the assumption that she is all-powerful when that is not the case. It serves here to give him a bit more courage than he would have otherwise had in such a situation. Eventually, of course, he learns the error of that assumption, especially when he begins to learn about the Ethereal Plane's history.

_DWR:_

It's not really shown, and I hope we get a chance to show it in the future, but Angel respects no one more than he respects Freya. As mentioned in the next chapter, he also feels uncomfortable in the Ethereal Plane. Thusly, does he feel that it's almost disrespecting her to be an unnatural being in a "perfect" plane? Quite possibly, at the very least, it's something to think about.

**Chapter XIX: Heavenly Gambit, Part III**

Finally, we come to the end of Part II, with Fayt's plans drawing to an abrupt end here. At the start, Ben is mostly trying to keep his mind off of the idea of fighting Fayt at her full power, even with help, which doesn't work thanks to Odin's words. This, in turn, brings up another fact about Angel related to his Planeswalker status. While Angel has been a Planeswalker of the Ethereal Plane for many years, he feels innately uncomfortable whenever he is there because of his nature as a _Vayash Moru_. For Angel, being in a place that feels "holy" to him, like the Ethereal Plane, makes him feel as if he is degrading it with his very presence simply because he believes it to be unnatural. This is the reason why he spends very little time in the Ethereal Plane despite being Freya's chosen, feeling more comfortable on the mortal plane or in the other two outer planes.

The fight with Fayt itself showcased a bit of Odin and Xeios' ability – Odin is the foremost physical combatant within the plane itself, and doesn't need fancy techniques or powerful magic to win, just his extraordinary skill and strength. Xeios, however, complements Odin by lending him magical aid both offensively and defensively, serving as the shield to his sword in a way. It also showcased Angel's Guardian Force, a dragon named Crusader, from which the inspiration comes from – if my memory is correct – _Final Fantasy VI. _A few summons will be featured in the story which are not from _Final Fantasy VIII, _for those who are familiar with the game and which summons appear.

Destine's appearance, however, is what truly serves to put the final nail in the coffin for Fayt and her plans. Already weakened somewhat from fighting two Planeswalkers and both of Freya's advisors, Destine's unrestricted power just tips the balance completely against Fayt and serves to end the fight for good. Freya taking away Fayt's powers also has a bigger effect on Fayt than might be immediately realized; Fayt feels very strongly about her powers because they make her feel as if she has true importance, and to her, it comes across as Freya feeling as if she can't be trusted with any kind of important task, only further strengthening her feelings of being the least favorite of Freya's "children." Freya also gives Ben a short, but simple and direct lesson about letting his fear get the better of him. Fear isn't a bad emotion for a Planeswalker to have, but one has to keep it in moderation to keep it from staying their feet in everything they do, which is something that a Planeswalker can't afford in their line of work.

Overall, as far as this entire arc goes, I was more pleased than I was with the opening, as I finally started to settle into a style of writing that worked for me. Along with that, I managed to iron out a lot of kinks with the story that I found upon rereading the logs from our chats that led up to the creation of this story, and I only hope that it was an enjoyable thing to read all the way through for anyone who read it.

_DWR:_

Destine's quote section in here is by far one of my favorites… and leads into her arc quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

_**Part III: Element of Treachery**_

**Chapter I: Opposing Viewpoints**

This chapter started the next part of Book I, and it was designed to be a short filler arc before the main plot of the story was resumed. The entire driving force behind the arc was designed to be the Trabia Garden field exam, and things took a bit of turn here from the otherworldly action of the Ethereal Plane and issues with Planeswalkers to distinctly mortal matters with an attempted takeover of Galbadian government. Caraway, Rinoa Heartilly's father from _Final Fantasy VIII_, has been made a full General and the Chief of Staff in Galbadia, as well as given a first name which is taken from another of Peptuck's stories, _The Gunblade Saga_, his novelization of the game itself. Duran was my own creation, and was designed to be someone who came across as patriotic above and beyond reason, willing to do anything to right what they saw as "wrong" with their country. This chapter also shows that Vinzer Deling's son has taken up the presidency of Galbadia following his father's death at the hands of Sorceress Edea in game events. Calling Trabia Garden forces in to deal with the issue as opposed to Balamb Garden was a bit of a stretch, logic-wise, but was a necessity for sake of the plot; Galbadia Garden wasn't considered simply due to the fact that the issue was in Galbadia proper, and there was no guarantee that Galbadia Garden forces wouldn't side with Duran.

**Chapter II: Zero Hour**

This chapter actually started the field exam proper, with the briefing of those participating and the actual departure, as well as more events in Galbadia itself. When I was writing these few chapters, I had wondered early on how I could possibly justify Trabia Garden turning such an important mission into an exam for inexperienced cadets. When I looked back at the game, however, I realized that the Balamb field exam consisted of dropping similar cadets off on a beach that was held by hostile forces, and then of sweeping a few city blocks clear of hostiles before holding a courtyard and awaiting further instructions…which made me realize that SeeD seems to do this sort of thing often, and made me worry a lot less about the plausibility and reasoning of a field exam in this kind of situation. One thing I would like to change is to have more people taking the field exam; only fifteen people participating seems extremely small for a Garden of a couple thousand, even if most of those are either already SeeD or out on a mission, though we only saw a similar-sized crowd for the field exam in _Final Fantasy VIII _at Balamb Garden.

The part with Duran actually executing a hostage was a bit gut-wrenching to write, but I didn't want to shy away from it – this is a man who is committed to his choice of action, and does not intend to play around. Not everything always goes according to plan, and they knew going in that SeeD wouldn't be arriving in time to beat the time limit they were given.

The scenes on the dropship were designed to show everyone's thoughts on the mission, and also to show that not everyone is getting along perfectly, though most of the teams are fine with the group compositions. Paine and Sumiko are just slightly at odds, though mostly focused on Sumiko being unused to Paine's personality rather than any real dislike, while Uriko is outright angry at the idea of being given orders by not only someone as young and – in her eyes – inexperienced as Yuki. The fact that they are cousins as well (Uriko's mother and Yuki's mother being sisters) just makes it worse for Uriko.

**Chapter III: Impact**

I don't have as much to say about this chapter, as there was comparatively little happening here – just the actual entering of the Palace, and a bit more character interaction. Interestingly enough to me, the parts with Yuki's group were the most fun to write, mostly because of the dynamic between the three of them – Yuki is hesitant, nervous, and usually rather shy, while Uriko has a bad temper, a bit of an ego, and is even more irritated that she's being bossed around by Yuki. Shuyin, meanwhile, is nothing more than caught in the middle of this one-sided animosity, and would like nothing more than for Uriko to shut up and get the job done.

Paine's team and their sections, also, were rather fun to write. Paine always came across to me as someone who would be an effective leader, and I wrote her character as such here. She doesn't hesitate; she simply comes up with a course of action and follows through. Unluckily for the Galbadians, Paine favors a very direct approach to things.

**Chapter IV: Gaining Ground**

This chapter, in comparison to the last, held a lot of the action of the field exam, as the teams finally all make it inside and start sweeping the Palace itself clear. One thing that the section with Silvia's team shows is that while Rikku is fairly comfortable with the principles of SeeD training, Tidus is a lot less so. Some quick thinking salvages the situation, but things could've gone very bad thanks to Tidus jumping the gun on entry.

The other large section focuses again on Yuki's team, and shows that while Yuki is young, she does have a good head on her shoulders and can act effectively if put into the role. Yuki is rather intelligent, and capable of putting together plans on the fly to get things done, in addition to being very talented with magic. Uriko's temper comes into play here again as she decides to use a Guardian Force to take care of a single pair of guards; part of this is her taking out her anger at Yuki on the soldiers, and her methods here are commented on by Shuyin.

**Chapter V: Justice**

This chapter wrapped up the field exam itself, and took the time to focus on nearly all of the squads again – Silvia's squad, somehow, got left out of the chapter's segments. Most of the chapter was spent actually withdrawing the cadet forces, with the situation in-hand enough for the main SeeD force to go in and clean up, the cadets having been analyzed enough in a field setting by command officials. Writing Andréa practically exploding at Uriko for her carelessness was one of my favorite pieces to write up to this point in the story; Iron Reaver, however, wrote her actual dialogue for that part. A fairly major introduction was the displaying of the "Deltas," or Delta Squad, Trabia Garden's special operations team. The characters actually come from _Star Wars: Republic Commando_, and were exclusively played by Iron Reaver during our roleplay; they'll be seen quite a bit more as the story progresses for various reasons.

_DWR:_

This goes back to referencing First Team at Balamb Garden. Each of the three Gardens has a number of special operations squads; the squad in particular used here was the Delta Squad. At Galbadia, they are referred to as the Night Riders. As of this point, Galbadia is the only one that has the whole SpecOps program under one name, unlike its two sister Gardens.

**Chapter VI: Future Preparations**

Here, we had the entirety of Trabian command officials reviewing and discussing the cadets' performance in the field exam. Notably, only two of fifteen failed, those being Tidus and Uriko. It was very interesting writing about how all of the higher-ups interacted with each other in this environment, as well as their thoughts on each of the cadets in general, and I tried to break things down nicely to show just why they were making the decisions they were. Every line from Onimaru was a lot of fun to write, especially his comments about Yuki and the Senior's subsequent silencing of his objections. Normally, Garden wouldn't allow someone as young as Yuki to take the field exam, but Katanas pitched the idea to his father to see if he would make an exception, given her talent.

The other piece here shows Destine putting another real step towards her plans by beginning to gain followers. Unfortunately for her, she would later be almost barred from gaining any real help, given how much Will knew about her plans, but her intent was sound. It introduced the idea that while the Ethereal Plane is more peaceful than the Nether Plane, it has had its share of trouble, and criminals do exist there as well. As such, a prison only makes sense; unlike traditional prisons, Freya has an advantage here in that she can make one almost guaranteed to be inescapable by the inhabitants. Manes would be the first real introduction that we get to a Nether Plane being, and is most certainly not the last that we'll be seeing.

_DWR:_

This was a new addition when this section was written. Destine originally had a Guardian Force assisting her, who fought Ben, Tetsuya… and Revolver, if my memory is serving me correctly. I'm glad we went this way instead.

**Chapter VII: Graduation**

The first part of this chapter introduced one big element that is vitally important to Planeswalkers, that being the idea of the Crystal Path. Essentially, the Path is a dimension completely separate from any Realm, acting as sort of a bridge between different points in space and time, be that within a single plane, two planes, two realms, or any two points that they have the ability to reach. Katanas, here, is planning for events much later in the future, leaving Ein as the SeeD Commander – with his father's approval – while he meets with some associates of his.

Also, while there isn't much to say about it – Andréa gets a promotion. She's been with SeeD a total of nine years now, and a promotion to Major is long overdue for someone like her.

One thing that the next part has to have fixed is that Tetsuya doesn't know Andréa; in reality, they are rather close to each other, and I can't even remember now why I ever thought that wasn't the case. Also, it shows that Tetsuya is romantically involved with someone, who we'll meet a little later.

Destine, also, continues to start her own brand of trouble, this time on the mortal plane. Destine's aim here was to make things happen on the mortal plane – she wasn't particularly interested in the events themselves, just that there was turmoil. With any luck, she figured, it would keep the Planeswalkers – who she knew were mostly SeeD members – occupied with mortal affairs until it was too late to do anything about her plans for the Ethereal Plane.

_DWR:_

Another appearance by Shiro, and Destine meddling? _Delicious._

**Chapter VIII: Pawns Before Kings**

The most important part of this chapter was the introduction of another of the outer planes, this time being the Nether Plane. The Nether Plane is home to beings known as _Daiesthai, _more commonly referred to by mortals as "demons" both for their general appearances and their actions. There are quite a few _Bleach_ references to be had with this place as well, the foremost of which being the planar leader, Aizen Sosuke. Aizen is thoughtful, manipulative, and always looking for a way to gain something out of a deal, but also has a large amount of curiosity when it comes to seeing what others are thinking – most pronounced with the person in question is an _Author._

_Authors _are the term given, as explained in the chapter, to beings who create worlds. There are ten total _Authors, _one for each Realm within the multiverse; Wilhelm, who is shown here, is the _Author _of the Tenth Realm. The only other _Author_ featured in this story is that of the Eighth Realm, shown much later, unless events change in such a way as to allow me to showcase others.

Also in this chapter, we discover who Tetsuya was talking to last chapter. Hikari Tanaka is the head of security for Vector Industries, a relatively new company within the city of Esthar that has grown to fantastic heights within just a few short years.

Destine, again, is continuing to cause trouble, this time in Galbadia. Galbadia City has been embattled in a sort of "turf war" between the DeValle family and the Deling family for a while now, with each trying to gain a greater share of the city's holdings and underground dealings. Mostly, things remain even; Destine's aims here are to shift that balance into the hands of the Deling family, forcing the DeValle family to turn their attention to their business in Galbadia.

_DWR:_

The turf war mentioned here is the basis of Family Rites; a story that I wrote in a Yahoo chat once, which somehow made its way onto ff net after I rewrote it.

**Chapter IX: Fireproof**

Opening with the Presidential Palace of Esthar being torched? A pretty fun way to open a chapter, in my opinion. One thing I would like to mention here that was not touched upon in-story is about the Presidential Guard – despite the name, they are more like Esthar's special forces, with their primary function being to protect the palace, the president and his family, top ranking officers, and other important figures within the palace itself. Their secondary function is to go on high-profile and high-priority missions that the regular Estharian military isn't equipped to do.

The other important portion here is the DeValle family's response to events in Galbadia. Deling had DeValle family holdings burned during the night using the information that Destine gave him, and the Senior is quick to order a response here. Albel Nox having a twin brother was actually something that didn't come about until much later in our roleplay, and only really affected one or two events in the story proper; he had a more direct influence in Daniel Wesley Rydell's story _Family Rites, _mentioned at the end of the chapter. Notably, the Senior isn't afraid to outright assassinate the leader of Galbadia – he's that assured that he'll be able to get away with it, or at least pin it completely on Jarok in the worst case. The Senior _also _isn't averse to throwing away pawns to keep himself clean.

_DWR:_

I think it's important to note what Jarok's role in this is. The one thing that the Senior of each family can agree on is that they want business to succeed, and they don't want their turf war to directly affect (their own) business. To that end, Jarok Nox became a supposed liaison between the two families. This in turn was a ruse by the Senior to get eyes in the Deling family, and it worked.

**Chapter X: Flash of Blades**

The main focus of this chapter was the return of the Royal Thieves' Guild, again living up to their name and looking for things to pilfer. This time, however, they were doing so under orders of Destine, and unluckily happened to have a SeeD team in the area that was investigating the recent fires. The fight was pretty straightforward, though it could stand to have had a bit more done with each fight, or either have it done as one big fight; either way would have likely wound up better than the split-focus way I wrote it here, though my main reason for doing so was to be able to write the whole fight in third-person as opposed to first-person view. Also, the Guard didn't show up until after the fight was over, as the fight was too short for anyone to actually get there to assist.

_DWR:_

Destine, during this, often relied on many other sources. In the original, she was more reliant on herself. Another change I really appreciate.

**Chapter XI: Machinations**

A lot of new things were introduced in this chapter – two new characters, both Planeswalkers of the Nether Plane, and the third outer plane of the Eighth Realm, Soul Society, were introduced here. Dmitri Yuriev holds the dubious "honor" of being the most-hated character of the entire roleplay, for reasons that will be made a bit clearer in a later arc. Rubedo Alaberti is a character that wasn't conceived until late in the roleplay, and it was decided that he be worked into some earlier events as we went back and took a look at the first draft of our finished project.

Soul Society finally gets a description here as well, and it serves as a middle ground as far as the outer planes are concerned. Effectively, it is a sort of neutral ground, and Ethereal and Nether beings alike can visit the plane – so long as they don't cause any trouble – to rest and recover their energy, as the plane is full of magical energy that aids outer plane beings in rejuvenating themselves. It is also, as stated in the story, the afterlife for the entire plane, up to and including _Ancient-_level beings. Soul Society has also changed hands many more times than either of the two outer planes, with twenty-seven previous leaders before Byakuya Kuchiki rose to the position; by contrast, the Ethereal and Nether Planes have ever only had one leader up to this point in the story.

Darius makes mention here of a point stated earlier by me in this commentary, that being that he does not visit the plane of his benefactor often unless he has a reason that benefits him in some way. His desire to meet one of the former members of the Gilead Order intrigues the Lord Sovereign just enough to decide to arrange a meeting.

Another piece of Destine's puzzle falls into place here, and it shows that she didn't just pick Manes randomly; she had a plan for him from the beginning. Against just about anyone else, Manes would have simply taken the artifacts he was given and ran, but even he knows better than to cross the Pillar of Destiny. Rubedo also gets to show off his fighting prowess against the _Daiesthai _here, and both of them have wildly differing methods of fighting. Manes is called a _Balancer, _an original class designed around hexing the enemy and causing them to damage themselves whenever they act in various ways. The class can quickly cripple an opponent that doesn't pay attention to what they're afflicted with versus what actions they take, but has no directly-damaging skills which don't rely on an opponent's action beyond gradual life-draining effects. Rubedo, by contrast, is an _Adept Rogue_, which is a special kind of class in our system known as a _Transcendence Class, _attainable only by _Hume, Vayash Moru, _and _Quincy_ and offering higher levels of power than other classes. It focuses on the use of elemental forms that each specialize in different parts of combat such as offense and healing; Rubedo doesn't use any real skills from this class in this fight, sticking mostly to hand-to-hand combat and one personal skill not related to the class itself.

**Chapter XII: Fracture**

Part of this chapter shows that one of Katanas' greatest assets is also one of his biggest weaknesses – namely, his curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge. Rubedo telling him all about what happened with Destine should have never let him agree to send anyone out, let alone two people as what he actually did, but he let his desire to gain a better understanding of Destine's plans put others in harm's way. Katanas already realized that it was a trap, and was hoping that sending Angel and Ben together would alleviate some of the risk, given that he highly doubted Destine would dare to be brazen enough to attack either one of the two Planeswalkers. What he didn't count on was for Destine to bring Manes along for him to do the dirty work, and consequently for Manes to be able to outfight both of them at once. At this point, Manes is so far above Ben as to be practically untouchable, and would be a tough fight for Angel as well; taking Ben out first was the only logical course of action for Manes, and he honestly believed that he had killed him outright with the one strike, which was the only thing that kept him from following up the attack.

**Chapter XIII: Recovery**

One of the big things I tried to do with the opening of this chapter was avert something extremely common in the _Final Fantasy _games, and most other RPGs by extension: curative magic can't heal everything. Unless the caster is someone extremely powerful, such as an outer plane entity like an _Erudite _or _Ancient_, curative magic can heal a lot of things, but can't always heal completely. Things like cuts from blades or even gunshot wounds can be healed by a skilled mage and the right amount of power used, but an injury like the one Ben got wasn't something to leave solely to magic, if only to be on the safe side. It also gives a brief interruption to show that, yes, the Senior _did _get what he was after. Whether he'll get away with it or not remains to be seen.

Angel decides at this point to go look up an old contact of his, and turns to the daughter of a wealthy family in Dollet, Maya D'Angelo, for assistance. Maya is, as stated, the head of the powerful organization known as Scientia, which serves as a secretive worldwide information brokering organization. They operate almost exclusively in the shadows, with enough contacts and proxies that no one seems to truly know who is pulling the strings save a select few.

_DWR:_

Maya is the only surviving member of the D'Angelo family, as her parents were killed in Dollet raid by Galbadia during which the SeeD exam took place. Hers and Angel's story will have some elaboration in future chapters.

**Chapter XIV: Dancing Madly, Part I**

The first chapter of the two-part finale to Destine's arc, this chapter showed Angel's continuing investigation, this time leading him to Galbadia and to Rubedo's, one of the last places the president of Galbadia was seen. He had suspicions that Destine was involved with his death, and meant to see how much he could find out on his own; unfortunately for him, most people weren't willing to talk. Destine had nothing to do with the death, however, only the distinction of meeting with him soon before his death. It also shows one more facet of Destine's personality – she lies here about doing everything she's been doing for the greater good, and Angel goes along with it. Normally, Angel wouldn't have gone along with something like this so easily, but Destine pushed one key button – Angel, as a Planeswalker, _would _be responsible for helping her if a threat to the Creator did arise, and he felt here that if it turned out she were telling the truth, that he would hold himself fully accountable for not making an attempt to find out what was going on and assist her. It wound up costing him dearly here, as well.

The scene in Katanas' office was a lot of fun to write, especially the very last line in the chapter. Will, the normally-pacifistic and non-intrusive Pillar, agreeing to explicitly help says volumes about how bad he feels the situation to be, and as seen in the next chapter, how responsible he feels at least in part for it.

_DWR:_

Woo. Okay, let's talk Angel for a moment. This was a rough scene to come up with, but we needed a reason for Angel to not only be out of the upcoming fight, but for a firm strike to be dealt that would force the other "heroes" into action. For Angel to get beaten as badly as he did was not only a humiliation to him that would take him some time to get over, but also a clear statement to Freya. "Your Planeswalker is weak; you should've chosen better."

Angel getting left beaten and bloody on Katanas' carpet officially marks the first time when he was well and truly beaten in any type of combat. Yes, Manes chased him away, but he didn't lose that round because he was too smart to stay in it. This whole thing showed that he too, beyond being a respected member of Garden as well as a respected Planeswalker, is fallible.

**Chapter XV: Dancing Madly, Part II**

The opening of this chapter showed that Will feels a little more responsible for things than he might let on. In truth, Will feels responsible for Destine being the way she is now following the Harrowing, and that he could have done more in the past to help her and keep things from turning out the way they have. Also, Ben is honest here about his reasons for doing this – he does want revenge on her, now more than ever considering what she did to Angel, but he also knows that he shouldn't be the one passing sentence on her, as that job belongs to Freya.

The actual fight in the Ethereal Plane itself was split evenly between Ben fighting Destine and Rubedo fighting Manes for the second time. The opening interaction between the former two brings up the fact that even after everything that's happened to him, Ben really doesn't know who he considers himself to be. Exploits in Spira gave him an honorary High Summoner title, while Freya gave him the title of Planeswalker and he has since become a SeeD…but in the absence of all those titles and accomplishments, he doesn't know how he views himself. The question was one that he was honestly thankful that Destine asked, as he may never have considered it otherwise. And, being both a fan of games and TV as well as rather genre savvy, it was only natural to him to come up with a pre-fight one liner, complete with nickname or title. All the best heroes have one, after all.

With Rubedo, Manes makes a classic and vital mistake – underestimating his opponent. He starts to have a little bit of a breakdown here before he composes himself; he has a superiority complex about _Daiesthai _being better than any _Hume _or lesser race has a right to be, which has been eating away at him ever since his first 'loss' to Rubedo. Manes is also an _Arrancar_, which is a _Daiesthai _that has been altered to give them enhanced power and new abilities, such as the ability to seal away part of their power into the form of a weapon. Releasing it gives them something of their old form and abilities back, such as it does for Manes here. His _Resurreccion _is based on a praying mantis, and the name translates from Spanish as "Bitter Spawn," alluding to the idea of him being able to create similar creatures to fight for him. Unfortunately for him, Rubedo is no ordinary _Hume, _and regularly spars with some of the Espada, those being the ten most powerful such _Arrancar _within the plane who report directly to the Overlord.

Near the end of the fight here, Ben also tries to use a classic cliché – taunt the villain into making a mistake. It works to some degree, but he simply gets lucky enough to get Destine in a position to end the fight; Freya showing up just served to make sure that Destine wouldn't be able to do anything further. He fought hard here mostly because he felt that he had something to prove and make up for after being so passive and afraid during the confrontation with Fayt.

As a whole, this entire arc was much easier for me to write than the first, now that I felt that I had found my style of writing and finally settled into a type of planning and writing that worked for me. The events could've been altered just a touch, but I felt as if I wrote them well for their intended purpose, with far less in this arc that I want to change as opposed to the previous arcs.

_DWR:_

Destine is a magical powerhouse. That is all.

**Interlude I: Winds of Change**

This was the longest chapter to date, partly because of the amount of scenes in it and partly because of what those scenes entailed. I went through a lot of different characters here, showing bits and pieces of what they were doing following all the events with Destine.

Ben has decided to throw himself back into his training with a vengeance; being effectively one-shotted by Manes, _Daiesthai _or not, embarrassed him to a great degree and has given him an almost single-minded desire to get better and stronger – partially in order to get a shot at revenge somewhere down the line. It also shows here that he has started learning an elemental specialty in Alchemy, focusing on Ice-elemental, which will gradually evolve as the story goes on. Interestingly, while Ben is most strongly associated with the Ice element, especially by the end of the story, a lot of his skills are Lightning-elemental at the current point in time.

The second part was written with one aim in mind, that being to prove that other people are taking notice that strange things are happening around Garden as of late. Tetsuya is a lot closer to the truth here than he realizes, given just how much Katanas isn't telling everyone about Planeswalkers and the like, but it is Sumiko here who is closest to the real truth. I also noted here that Tetsuya does have a relationship with Andréa, contradicting the earlier chapter which mistakenly was written as if they did not, that is closer to a brother-sister pair than anything else.

The next scene with Destine and Will was easily my favorite out of the chapter. Destine has been keeping her feelings bottled up for centuries regarding what happened at the end of the Harrowing, and it all comes out here in one big emotional release triggered by Will. Will suspected even before this began that Destine was finally hitting the breaking point, and he was deliberately trying to draw out her feelings here, making her face it and realize that people were willing to help her if she'd only give them the chance.

The scene with Kitaras Nicholai will truly only make sense for those who have read the above-mentioned story _Family Rites_; in summary, Jarok manages to assassinate Vinzer Deling Jr. and his wife Maria Deling at the Senior's behest, but winds up confronting Kitaras Nicholai, one of the family's top operatives and assassins in the process. Kitaras is seemingly killed in the ensuing conflict, but appears to him again unharmed and alive soon after. This explains exactly why that is – she was killed, but was brought back by Freya in order to temporarily serve as the Pillar of Destiny in Destine's absence. The reason that everyone is giving her evil looks at the opening is because of the fact that she is the child of Destine and Arragious Nicholai, with the relationship between the pair of them being a major reason for the Harrowing even occurring to begin with.

Angel speaking with Cid in the next scene was interesting to write, even when Daniel Wesley Rydell had written the scene out for me to begin with. Cid, as stated previously, knows pretty much everything there is to know about Angel's past and his status as a Planeswalker, and as such is rarely shocked by anything he has to say anymore. The Balamb Headmaster is one of the few people that Angel trusts implicitly, and has no issues divulging any matters to that he feels concerned about or needs advice on.

The last two scenes, in contrast to the others, were short and sweet; I may go back and cut the scene with Albel, as Iron Reaver intended to do more with what it was leading to but never got the chance. All in all, the chapter served the function of getting reactions out of the way in order to set up the next real arc.

_DWR:_

Little bit to say here. First, on Destine.

Destine being absolutely devastated by Freya's choices during the Harrowing was a fairly early idea when Nightfire began writing this out, and that made her different than Fayt and Hyne. She clearly could not deal with the heartbreak that her choices, and Freya's eventual forced decision made in separating her from Arragious, who she clearly cared about, as well as eventually having to separate from her daughter to keep her safe from those who still held hard feelings about the Harrowing's cause. For Will to call her out was the words that she was too afraid to speak, that she'd rather not live then continue on.

The biggest problem that I have with this is that there's not a lot of reference to this before or after, at least in the early stages. In all fairness, Destine doesn't have much to do in the next arc after Ben's incident, so I hope that we're able to elaborate on how she's coping with that.

Second, on Kitaras.

Kitaras was originally just a lap dog for the Deling family, albeit one that I kind of grew attached to. The original mention of her last name being Nicholai was a funny reference, considering the fact that Arragious had just met his end by Hyne. In this case though, it fleshed out the whole thing and really brought everything together, and made the relationship between Destine and Arragious _real._

Finally, Angel.

Not a whole lot to say here. Nightfire needed some filler, and I had been dreaming of a scene where Cid was in the mentoring role that I knew he had with Angel, despite the age difference. Cid knowing everything, including Angel's status as a _Vayash Moru _was a necessary choice, since Angel told him everything when Cid was first looking for people to work in the organization he was founding.

**Chapter I: For Want of Words**

This was one of those chapters that had me resisting the urge to laugh with every sentence I wrote, mostly because it seemed like Darius was finally getting some comeuppance in this chapter after everything that has happened in-story. It helped a lot that the characters getting focus are some of my favorites to write, especially Etchel Beoulve. I love writing Etchel, which is a great surprise to me given that Etchel is not a character that I actually played in the roleplay – Etchel was played exclusively by Iron Reaver. For those paying attention, a nice running gag is set up here with Etchel and his apples – he is _never _without at least one, no matter the circumstances, and this is actually commented on some chapters later by Arragious Nicholai. While Etchel might prefer to act foolish and somewhat lazy, he is still a _Malakh _and a former Grim Angel Captain, making him quite capable of being serious when needed.

The entire chapter was set up to essentially be a big dump of information regarding exactly what happened before and during the Harrowing. What was said here is the condensed version of things; the full breakdown of events will actually be written out in _Clouded Horizons: Origins_, once I get around to writing that story. Nothing more really needs to be said; the chapter did what it needed to, and was fun to write all-in-all.

**Chapter II: Vested Interests**

This was another short chapter, only designed to advance things a bit further and actually set up for Book II's first arc, instead of anything further in Book I. Ben actually gets his first promotion here; Katanas had said that it was to be considered an official Garden mission when he and Rubedo were sent to confront Destine, and he performed enough above expectations for Katanas to recommend the promotion. It also serves to get one more piece of information out in the open, that being how many people actually know about Planeswalkers and the outer planes. There are not a lot of people who explicitly know, around ten at the present time.

The second piece of the chapter is what begins to lay groundwork for Book II. Vector Industries is another _Xenosaga _reference, and is used here as another corporation in Esthar, one which is growing substantially faster and larger than anyone ever expected. Within six years, the company has risen to be one of the biggest companies in Esthar, as well as one of the top ten most influential world corporations, and growth like that has naturally aroused suspicion. This particular inquiry actually comes from Tetsuya's father, James Alnon, who is the president of another Estharian company called Executive Outcomes, and is one of the pieces that will set off the first arc in Book II.

_DWR:_

Vector Industries originally didn't have a whole lot to it. In order to include it in the story in the role that we had planned for it, we needed to come up with how it was even on anyone's radar. Thusly, the story you saw.

**Chapter III: Exile**

This chapter, along with the first interlude, seemed to serve only to torture Destine a bit more than she has been already. Which is fine by me, incidentally; I've taken to enjoying the tormenting of characters that belong to all three of us a bit more than I expected. The opening here was somewhat of the straw that broke the camel's back, as Destine meets up with the last person she really needed to see in her condition, Arragious Nicholai. Without seeing Arragious as he was before, his attitude now has nothing to use for comparison, but Arragious has changed a lot since his time as the Gilead Order's leader. He still feels betrayed by Freya and the others in charge, and has finally decided to take revenge on all of them – which, unknowing even to him, is nothing more than a part in Hyne's own plans.

The middle section here was put in primarily to break up the first and last pieces, as I felt they wouldn't be good enough alone and that they needed something to space them out. I showcased a bit of Tetsuya's fighting style here, displaying that he favors power over almost everything else to go with the heavy gunblade that he wields. He is also primarily aligned with the Lightning element, like Darius; his "lightning aura" skill here is actually a skill passed down through the Kurabasa family for generations, which will be mentioned again and explained at some point in time. This was also the first indication that something might be wrong with Ben following the fight with Destine, as well.

If the first part of this chapter was cruel, the last part is downright heartbreaking; having Destine finally break down in front of Freya is something that both Daniel Wesley Rydell and I have wanted to do for a long time. Freya still hasn't forgiven herself for what she did in the past, and is finally realizing that while she has to be a planar leader, she still has to be – effectively – a mother as well.

_DWR:_

I hope we got across to you how hurt Destine is by Arragious' attack on her. Freya got it; I hope you did too. Destine really does care for Freya, despite her previous actions.

**Chapter IV: Precautions**

Another setup chapter here, mostly, with a couple different things happening. Ben is still pretty shaken by what happened the previous day with Tetsuya, and making the realization that he may have blown his "cover," such as it was, as a Planeswalker didn't help the matter. Lampshading the fact that even some of the characters think that Will is going to turn evil, given that Freya's two daughters have both done so thus far, was amusing as well – we consistently made jokes about it, and waited for it to happen right up until we wrote the finale for the story. Ruling the Ethereal Plane out as an option for help wasn't really considered until I started writing this, but I thought that it would be interesting to explore more logical and earthly means of investigation for a change.

The second part of this built on the ending piece from _Vested Interests_, with Senior actually having a mission team put together and briefed in order to go into Vector. Senior's choice of SeeD is certainly interesting; my co-authors commented that it was a very unusual choice until my reasoning became clear. Darius is, for all his attitude and flippancy, extremely skilled at improvisation and simply talking his way out of problems, making him an ideal choice to lead the mission itself. Naoki and Sumiko both hail from a background skilled in more esoteric arcane arts, with Sumiko particularly skilled in illusionary magic, giving them the magical edge needed to keep from arousing suspicion. Senior also leaves nothing to chance, bringing out a special operations team just in case anything goes wrong.

The last piece with Tetsuya and Andréa was particularly interesting to write – while people may have suspicions that things aren't entirely as they seem, they also have a certain amount of tact. Tetsuya, well…lacks this sometimes. He's very direct more often than not, and is not afraid to speak his mind without regards for the consequences. Yuki tends to balance this part of him out when the two of them are around each other, but Tetsuya's mouth occasionally gets him in trouble when he's alone. Here, he just might be getting in a little over his head.

_DWR:_

Spoiler warning. Will's not evil.

**Chapter V: Hide and Seek**

This entire chapter was more or less centered around infiltration, hence the name. On the one side, we have Darius' team infiltrating Vector Industries, while on the other we have Arragious Nicholai infiltrating the sanctum of the Ethereal Knights; the only piece not stealth-centered is the opening part, which sets up the mission for next chapter.

Writing Vector Industries was like a breath of fresh air for me, as it was a nice change of pace to get to write more about business and technology than the science and magic basis that I've been focusing on thus far with Garden and the outer planes. I'll be the first to admit that my business knowledge is lacking, having no particular experience or schooling in that area, but between my co-authors and I, we hopefully made it work well enough for our purposes here. One of the bigger things that stand out here is that none of the team has any particular training in computers, hence the need for secrecy and stealth to avoid a lockdown of the computers any more so than they already are secured. Another is that Darius _loves _playing a part – he could be an actor, were he not so focused on extorting people.

Arragious' section was a bit shorter and less in-depth, but gives a little more insight into the nature of his exile. Arragious sees his exile as a slap in the face mostly because of the nature of the exile and his feelings that he did nothing wrong, which is the truth, but also because he sees some level of bitter irony at the first real target of that exile being the one who wrote the rules on it. Masaki Hirota is one of those who sat on the council responsible for his exile, and the one unfortunate enough to be his first target; he and some of the other _Malakh _and _Erudite _featured here will make appearances in _Origins _as well.

The last section was designed to remind everyone, both in-story and the readers, that plans never go as planned. Hikari Tanaka's equipment is heavily inspired by the _Mass Effect _series, her holographic visor being very similar to an omnitool from the series for anyone who has played it. Some of the other equipment she uses will be based on similar technology, such as collapsible weaponry and possibly even concepts like tech powers used in the games themselves. The armor she is using is extremely complex and is actually still in experimental testing; her job as head of security is used as a productive, secretive, and efficient way to gather data about how it performs and functions that can be altered.

**Chapter VI: Overcast**

The opening bit of this chapter had a medical slant, which is outside my expertise; for both this and some of the later parts involving ESTI, I asked one of my reviewers for help and opinions, and I want to thank LovlyRita for giving me advice and generally hearing out my insanity as I tried to grapple with a believable yet medically-logical diagnosis for later, as well as part of the later section of this chapter. I had to do a bit of research on the mind and brain waves for this, and I can only hope that I didn't mess things up too badly.

Most of this chapter, however, was taken up by a mission to Timber. This was my attempt at showing that the other characters are out doing missions like normal, even if they're off-screen. I tried to tie in just a little bit of the actual game canon to this, given that it was set in Timber, and it was well worth it in order to have the ending moment where Rinoa simply stops the fight with a stray glance. Kirce Valtroux is effectively Azula from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, albeit with a little less cunning and a lot more 'angry' added to the mix. There are other Alchemists out in the world besides the ones that we've seen, as Alchemy isn't taught just at Trabia Garden, and people can choose to misuse it just like anything else, as already seen with the Royal Thieves Guild. Ironically enough, after Ben breaks his secrecy about being a Planeswalker in front of Tetsuya, Andréa is forced to do the same thing here to save Tetsuya's life. As she stated to Tetsuya, however, it isn't technically a secret, just not common knowledge.

**Chapter VII: Pride Before the Fall**

This chapter was solely focused on the Ethereal Plane, specifically the continued dealings of Arragious in his quest for revenge. The short piece with Ben in the middle served almost no proper role except to break up the narrative a bit in order to keep it from being one long blurb, as well as to note a small fact or two about Planeswalkers that hadn't been mentioned as of yet. Planeswalkers have a number of quirks, for lack of a better term, that come with the position, and Ben is finally realizing that he accepted the position and responsibilities without "reading all the fine print," so to speak.

The Ethereal Magi's tower here is actually influenced by the Circle Tower from _Dragon Age: Origins_ in architectural style and layout. Up to the point where I wrote this chapter, along with the one in which the Ethereal Knights' sanctum was written, I hadn't actually given much thought as to how the two buildings were laid out. At some point, I would like to go back and actually make a sort of floor plan for each of them, as well as the Palace of Creation, just to make sure I stay internally consistent in this story.

Arisa Minami is another character that will feature in _Origins_, and shows here that not everyone involved with Arragious' exile truly agreed with it. Arisa, in truth, only went along with the majority because she feared the resurgence of war should they not exile Arragious, a decision that wore on her more and more as time went on. Were Arragious fully in his right mind, unburdened by Hyne's subtle influence, he may have chosen to spare her instead. The scene here was tough to write, mostly because I could not write the dialogue in a way that satisfied my inner critic at first.

Etchel mentioned during his exposition a few chapters back that not all of the _Malakh _in the plane were killed, and Kari Inihara is another of those who survived. Her position here is actually somewhat strange; at the present time, she is a member of the Ethereal Magi of Templar rank by technicality and virtue of having few other places to belong, but is given a fair amount more leeway in her actions than others of her station because of her former status as Captain of the Fifth Division within the Order of Grim Angels. The scene with her and Arragious was also difficult to write, but in a different way; keeping her on equal footing with an _Erudite _was tough without some creative use of her skills. As another note,the concept of Diviners here is actually a mix of two concepts – the name comes from _Riviera: The Promised Land_, while the actual weapon's concept is from the _zanpakuto _of _Bleach_. Just like in _Bleach, _Diviners have two levels of power that can be drawn upon – _Shikai, _or the initial release, which changes the weapon into another form and often gives it an additional ability or two for use (typically hinted at by the name), and _Bankai, _or final release, which is often either a massive weapon or effect that expands upon and enhances aspects of the initial release form. Some of the ones that will be shown in this story in possession of Grim Angel characters are taken directly from _Bleach _and given different names, while some such as Kari's – Kazewana – are completely original creations. The Binding and Destructive Arts that are used here by Kari are all taken directly from _Bleach, _as well.

**Chapter VIII: The Ties That Bind**

Etchel's opening scene here, continued from the end of last chapter, is only the first of many, many times that he will be irritating people, more often than not with the whole "eating apples at inappropriate times" bit. Letting Arragious go seemed like an odd thing for Etchel to do, given what had obviously happened to one of his former comrades, but it was a tactical decision that he explained a bit further down in the chapter itself. The scene with Etchel and Kari was meant to be sweet and a contrast from the fight last chapter, and while they aren't a canonical couple as far as our universe goes, the pairing is about one stray glance from canon at the present time.

The ending part of this chapter was designed to be a sort of figurative slap in the face for Ben. In striving to be a member of SeeD and figure out what being a Planeswalker is all about, he's forgotten to take the time to remember the friends that helped him get to where he is. Some of his decisions could be seen as a bit illogical, and the reasoning behind things here is two-fold. From a story standpoint, the choices he made weren't the best ones for the people involved, and he is finally realizing that fact. From a purely story-writing perspective…well, there are a lot of characters in this story, and I wanted a way to put a few of them on a bus until I could work them in without feeling like I was ignoring them the rest of the time, so to speak. Trying to tie in all the myriad bits and pieces of plot that we may or may not have done anything with is an ongoing job for me, and I'm trying to make sure that all of the characters that currently feature and have some degree of focus actually have a place in the story at the moment. Those characters will have their place in the story later, but I don't want to feel like I'm simply ignoring them until I need them – I'd rather give a believable reason for their departure, temporary or otherwise.

**Chapter IX: What Lies Beneath**

This is the first look that we get to take at Hyne, and I tried to make it a memorable one. Hyne's basic idea does come from Peptuck's stories, as stated in the notes for the chapter itself, and I tried to stay true to the concept of the character here. Hyne loves to taunt people, is very smug, and has a lust for blood and violence that one wouldn't expect from someone who looks like a seven year old girl. In our canon, Hyne is the fourth Pillar of Reality, created specifically to make sure that souls entered Soul Society without problems, and the idea of constantly being around that much death seemed like it would weigh on someone over the decades in the opinions of my co-authors and I. Writing Hyne is something that is quite tough for me, mostly because Hyne is the complete opposite of my own personality.

The scene in the throne room was one of those that was designed not to shock the readers, but to give the characters themselves a bit of an "oh crap, we're in for it now" moment. By the time Odin and Xeios realize who Arragious has allied himself with – or at least as much of an alliance as their 'partnership' is – Hyne has already separated Odin and Arragious from the rest of them, and neither Xeios nor Freya truly know what Hyne is preparing to do. This is also the first time where we see Freya acting, more or less, angry. Freya is not happy at all that Hyne would pull a stunt like this, and even less so that she seems to have gotten Arragious involved in revenge after so many centuries of peace.

I highly doubt I shocked anyone with the twist in the third part, but I gave it a try anyway. One of the things that I fought with was whether to write this in first-person, as the rest of Ben's POV has been done, or in a third-person view. I eventually decided to go third-person for no other reason than practicality. The scene itself did not lend itself well to a first-person view, given the circumstances, and looking back I honestly wish I had simply written the entire story in third-person to begin with.

_DWR:_

Angel has an unusual perspective, and that's why he was the first on scene. To be clear, he's not _positive_ as to what has happened to Ben as of this moment, but the battle in the next chapter pretty much tells him what he needs to know.

**Chapter X: Liberi Fatali**

The name of this chapter seemed only fitting, given that it was the theme that played during Angel and Ben's first fight way back in chapter six. I noted in the commentary for that chapter above that Angel would have won that fight, and that showed here in execution. Angel did get caught off-guard by Manes' use of Ben's skills, showing exactly how Ben _needs_ to be fighting versus how he has been fighting up to this point, but in the end his superior stamina and power simply won out, as Ben is not really built to deal large amounts of damage in one strike such as what would be needed to deal a serious blow to a _Vayash Moru _like Angel. It was a lot of fun actually writing the fight, and it is a massive improvement in my opinion over the first fight in both content and description. One thing that warrants some explaining is Ben's _Overdrive_ skill used here – the skill is called _Spark Waltz_, and was never shown in _Destiny's Call _or _Eternal Requiem, _but rather in the rewrite _Chronicles of the Chosen. _In writing that story, I made some edits to the skills Ben attained in Spira, and changing around his _Overdrive_ skills was one of those edits.

Also, this was the second time we see Freya truly irritated with someone, this time being Destine. Going after her and her advisors is one thing in her eyes, as they are easily capable of defending themselves against nearly anything in the realm, but going after a newly-minted Planeswalker in such a fashion crossed a line that Freya is quite upset about.

**Chapter XI: Angels and Demons**

This chapter was practically nothing but fighting, but each of the fights were rather distinct. On one side, we had Odin having a good old fashioned sword duel with Arragious in one of the worst places to have one, while on the other, we had Ben and Manes having a fight that wouldn't look out of place in anime within the confines of Ben's own mind. A rather apt comparison, actually, since I tend to write as if I was writing for an anime series most of the time, but that's neither here nor there. The intention to have them so distinct in style wasn't my initial plan, but it seemed to work out that way and worked rather well in my opinion. Odin does have a somewhat boisterous side to his personality, and part of that came out here during his fight with Arragious. Arragious made a not-insubstantial mistake in his planning, as well – thinking that one can take on someone like Odin by themselves, former Captain-Commander or not, is just asking for trouble, and Odin was quick to make sure that Arragious realized just how much he was in over his head.

Manes, in typical villain fashion, also has a grand old time gloating about how he has everything under control and how there's nothing the hero can do to stop him. When Manes isn't being sadistic and sickening, he's being…well, hammy. It's one of his fatal flaws; he tends to enjoy taunting and gloating a little too much, and this would mark the third time that it cost him dearly, the first two both being against Rubedo. The difference here is that if he had stuck to normal taunting, he would have actually won, but he had to go one step further than he needed and indirectly drag Ben's family into it. That was the one thing that really cost him the fight, and it felt only fitting to have someone like him fall victim to the archetypical villain undoing – making the fight personal. This is also the first time that we get to see Ben's actual _Limit Break_, a skill called _Spiral Masquerade. _Fittingly enough, the attack is all about speed, and is the only actual _Limit _technique that we'll see Ben using in the story, as memory serves.

**Chapter XII: Broken Bonds**

The opening of this chapter was the most difficult part to write, largely in part because Ben is still in a bit of a splintered mental state at this point. While he is back in full control of himself following his defeat of Manes, that control is more than a bit tenuous, and he has no idea whether what he did is temporary or permanent. Here, his emotions are still swinging a bit out of sorts from fear to aggression, and it is entirely a product of his own fears and worries about the situation. The part of the scene in Freya's chamber was meant to establish that even with all the power of a planar leader, there are some things that Freya can't just magically fix, this being one of them. Destine crafted her magic to be a permanent deal, and it did the job quite nicely in that regard. It also serves to explain how _Vayash Moru _in our canon are created, requiring a being to be possessed by a _Daiesthai _first – Ben's case isn't exact, but close enough to effectively give the same outcome if something were to happen to Manes.

The other half of the chapter is one of the final bits of setup for the opening of Book II, which will begin by focusing on Vector Industries and their dealings with the KP-X project. As stated above, Lindsey Geneave was "assassinated" some time ago in Galbadia, but in reality was actually kidnapped and used to be the basis for Vector's newest experiment. Finding out who her "killer" is one of the key points to the opening of Book II, and will be leading Darius on a renewed quest to find the truth behind just what happened that day – or at least, that's the plan for our writing at the present time.

**Chapter XIII: Thanatos, Part I**

I can't even begin to describe the feeling of relief that I had when I realized that yes, I had actually made it this far in-story. I've been working on this story for so long that I had begun to lose track of exactly where I was in the grand scheme of things, and to realize I had the first major stopping point almost completed was an incredible relief. Ein's character is always an interesting one to write, simply because of the childish innocence and enthusiasm that he has which most of our characters lack. Getting a chance to go to the Ethereal Plane is similar to the feelings that most kids have at the prospect of going to Disneyland or a similar theme park or attraction, and I tried to play that up here to contrast with the tone shift that was to accompany the rest of the Book's finale.

Things started going downhill quickly the moment that Arragious and Hyne decided to re-enter the Palace of Creation; Angel happened to be the first unlucky victim in the path of the duo. I'm trying hard not to diminish Angel's credibility, but this was simply one of those moments where no matter what he did, he had no chance to win. Survive, yes…win, no. It was Kisara, however, that got to showcase one of Hyne's stronger points, which is the all-encompassing, unnerving feelings that Hyne tends to bring wherever she goes. I felt like I was channeling every survival horror game I've ever played and every horror movie I've watched while I was writing this scene, and I tried to make it as eerie as I could possibly make it.

The last line in this chapter, as well, was rather fun to throw in as an apparent twist, and I found myself wondering just how many people I made second-guess Freya's benevolent nature with those words.

**Chapter XIV: Thanatos, Part II**

The final chapter of Book I as a whole and of Hyne's arc, I knew I had to make this a good one to end on. I knew that the first order of business would be for Freya to defend against Hyne's accusations, and she did so by explaining the precise reasons behind Hyne's creation; Hyne initially got quite an amount of leeway because of her responsibilities of ferrying souls from all three of the primary planes – mortal, Ethereal, and Nether. Arragious actually being mind-controlled and not just suckered into working with Hyne was something that I hoped came as a small shock, however minor, and I hoped that his death evoked similar feelings. Hyne proves in the process that she is more than capable of handing either of Freya's advisors their heads on a stick, if she really set her mind to it, and her treatment of Arragious comes almost verbatim from the equivalent scene in the roleplay, one which left me both fascinated and a bit disturbed at Daniel Wesley Rydell. This has since become just par for the course, as we've all had our similar moments throughout the roleplay.

Katanas being verbally assaulted by Hyne was one thing that I never intended to leave out, as it was just too good of a scene to pass up. Initially, there were more people present, and Hyne took shots at each of them in turn, but I shifted the scene to being only Katanas and Ein and focused solely on Katanas with the verbal sparring. Hyne loves her theatrics, no matter the situation, and she didn't seem to expect Katanas simply brushing the comments off and moving on. Having Katanas actually fight was something that hadn't been done since way back in chapter twelve, but having _Freya _step up and fight was another of the events I intended to be a major surprise for readers. Freya, as stated, is primarily a magic user of the _Divine Magus_ class, a class that is focused around Holy-elemental spells which often carry debilitating effects, but uses skills from a variety of disciplines such as the aforementioned _Ritualist_ arts, _Symbology_ magic, and even physical arts such as those of the _Paladin_. Hyne, in all honesty, is capable of giving Freya a decent fight, though she is somewhat less powerful than the Creator. Freya tends to hold back in combat, though, as she is hesitant to actually resort to force unless she sees an immediate threat that cannot be counteracted without fighting. Here, she had no such reason to hold back once Katanas fell, knowing that Ein would be safe even if she unleashed a portion of her considerable spiritual power.

The ending here was something that I wrestled with, as I didn't want it to come across as a cop-out of Hyne getting what she deserved. There is a punishment planned for her, but her punishment will be a bit more extensive and…interesting, than simply stripping her powers away, even though that is one part of it. Katanas and Ein have a father-son dynamic going on, as Ein doesn't know either of his real parents, and I tried to have a touching moment with the both of them here to build on that relationship.

Overall, I was considerably more pleased with the results of this arc than the previous, as I feel like my writing has improved by leaps and bounds over what it was a mere fifteen or so chapters before. I'm very excited at what is to come, especially the next two arcs, and fully intend to continue writing on this story for as long as I am physically able. I tried hard to get to this point so that I would have a good stopping point should I decide to take the time to work on any of my other stories, and I extend my most sincere thanks to any and all of my readers who have stuck with this story up to this point. From all of us here at Flex Designs, Ltd., we hope that you continue to enjoy the fruits of our labor.


	65. II, I, I: Open Wounds

First, I'll say that I'm sorry that this took so long to get written, but I just couldn't seem to get this to be the way that I wanted it to be. I spent quite a bit of time, as well, considering the exact direction that I wanted to take this arc, and it took me a while to figure out the ideas and style that I wanted to use for the upcoming chapters. Now that I have that sorted out, I think things will proceed a bit more smoothly.

Also, we're finally in Book II now, titled _Outbreak_ - I still can't believe I've made it even this far, let alone how much more I have planned for you guys.

Begin!

* * *

_Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit_

_Chapter I—Open Wounds_

* * *

[July 10, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 11:17 AM]

* * *

Darius Devalle was _pissed._

He'd been mad before, the kind of angry where people seem to instinctively shy away out of fear that they will be the next targets of the wrath, where small children are frightened simply by being in the same room. Many had seen the best and worst of his myriad moods, most often his brothers, but only Katanas had seen Darius in the kind of mood he was in now as he stalked towards his father's office, fire in his eyes and a glare on his face that would have made even the most stalwart officer hesitate to approach him. He'd nearly petrified Ein over the GLD's connection when he requested the meeting, and he was sure that Ein had warned his father of his present state, though he was equally sure it mattered little to the Senior.

Not that he cared. He was far too furious to be concerned about something so minor as his father's opinion of his outrage. It was justified, in his mind, and he _would _have answers one way or another.

Darius paused for a brief moment as he came to stand in front of the doors of his father's office, considering exactly what he would say when he walked in. Seconds passed, his idle stance only letting his rage simmer, and he finally reached out and grabbed the handle of one door, swinging it open in a satisfying and forceful movement.

It was time to face his past once again, one that he had thought long ago he'd come to terms with.

* * *

"Why didn't you _tell me?_"

Darius' father looked up at his youngest son from behind his desk, his expression calm and collected in the face of the boy's rage.

"It wasn't necessary for you to know at the time," the Senior replied, seemingly unconcerned.

"Wasn't _necessary?_" he asked, seething. "You didn't think it was _necessary_, or even a _courtesy _given what happened, to tell me that you had a new lead on Lindsey's murder?"

"The information is just that - a _lead._Investigation takes time, as I'm sure you know from your own dealings."

"And I could've been helping you for the past two days! You found out that Vector Industries had some kind of connection to Lindsey - a place that I just got back from - and you didn't even _think _about asking me to help investigate this!"

"With the way you're acting now, is it any wonder?" Darius' father stated, an edge to his voice. "You'd want nothing more right now than to go down to Esthar and rip Vector apart looking for answers, damn the consequences of it all. If you can't keep a cool head on your shoulders, you've no right helping us investigate anything, ties to your past girlfriend or not. Your actions would have far-reaching consequences in a number of ways - economic, political, and personal. Have I taught you nothing?"

Senior had more than a mere lead, of course, but he wasn't about to tip his hand by revealing what he did or didn't know concerning Lindsey's disappearance. That went against every facet of his business savvy nature, and he wasn't about to betray that tenet on account of a youngster's anger. The Headmaster was nothing if not imperturbable, and it was exceedingly rare for him to lose his cool over anything, no matter how shocking or sudden it was.

Darius paused for an instant, momentarily cowed by his father's words, but stood firm. The emotional aura of rage that his body language held seemed to dim slightly, but the dark glare remained firmly on his face as he continued to stare down the Trabian Headmaster.

"Fine. Then give me a SeeD mission to find out more. Give me a team to keep me in check if you have to, but let me be a part of this. I...owe it to her to find out."

"You're still not going to Esthar," Senior said, casually beginning to peruse a small series of papers.

"I wasn't planning on it," Darius replied, somewhat defensively. "Not when there're better places to start."

"You'd go back to Galbadia, then?"

"It only makes sense. It's been years, but I'm sure I can still track down someone that had connections to the killer. Galbadian police couldn't find a wayward chocobo if the rest of the flock was in their parking lot, but SeeD is trained better than that."

Internally, the younger DeValle was ever-so-slightly hesitant at the idea. When Lindsey had first been killed, he had done everything in his power to find something, anything to track down the one or ones responsible...only to come up empty-handed. None of his business contacts, back alley dealings, even outright criminals that he..._persuaded_...to give up information had led him to anything more than a bunch of dead ends and shattered ideas. Now that he was a full-fledged SeeD, the head of one of the largest economic guilds in the world, and nearly as savvy at under-the-table dealings as his own father, however...

This time, he'd let nothing stand in his way. He'd rip apart the Galbadian countryside, tear a swath through Esthar's borders, whatever it took. Nothing would deter him this time, not when he had a second chance to pull off something he'd swore to himself long ago he would not rest until he'd completed.

"...Hm," Senior murmured, reaching over towards a cup of coffee on his desk and taking a sip from the contents. "You've a plan, then."

"The beginnings of one."

"You want a team, I assume?"

"I'll need a decent-sized team to pull this off. At least two - Andréa, and Revolver."

Senior's curiosity mounted at that proclamation - Revolver and Darius were like oil and water, almost never seeing eye to eye on anything. The two preferred to stay away from each other's company as much as possible, given Darius' penchant for getting things done in any way necessary and Revolver's more honorable, duty-bound way of viewing things. For Darius to be willingly requesting for Revolver to join him spoke volumes as to how far he was willing to go and how serious he was about this.

"Andréa is the leader of her own SeeD team now," Senior said. "What would you suggest we do with the others in her team?"

"Add them into mine, then," Darius suggested. "I know that the Ishida boy and that Remiere girl are capable, and Silvia is an excellent choice too, with what she knows about Estharian businesses; she could probably dredge up a lot of things from her father's files, I'd bet. And if I'm not mistaken, isn't Powell a little..._incognito _at the moment?"

Senior let a barely perceptible frown cross his face. Katanas had been doing a rather fine job of quietly dealing with the issues that had arisen due to the cadet's recent loss of control in the courtyard, and had placed him on administrative leave under the cover of a priority mission of high secrecy...which was really just a way of hiding the fact that he was dealing with some rather more important issues.

"That leaves six people, counting myself, which is a good number. We can split up to investigate without being weakened substantially if something does happen, and there's a wide variety of skills there both in and out of combat. Plus, there's no problem with Andréa not having a team to lead - her team's all with me."

"Revolver won't be happy at you making him leave his shop like this, let alone to spend that time helping you," Senior commented wryly.

"Let him," Darius retorted with a snort. "He needs to get out more, anyway. All he does is beat chunks of metal into pointy shapes all day."

His rage, Darius found, had cooled into something a bit firmer. The determination that he had during business deals to come out on top, to always be the one getting the best and most out of a plan, was coming back to the forefront, all directed on a single goal. With the people he'd have along with him this time, there was no way that he'd fail again. It hurt enough that he'd lost Lindsey, that he'd failed to track down her killer at the time when it meant the most...

...but delayed vengeance would still be just as sweet.

* * *

[July 10, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 11:17 AM]

* * *

"It's just me. Can I come in?"

Naoki put down the magazine that he was examining onto the table in front of him, leaning forward just a bit as he looked over at the door.

"It's open."

The door to his room opened, letting Sumiko step in quietly and shut the door behind her as she moved. She'd changed into a simple outfit, just a short-sleeved tan shirt and forest green pants that reached her calves, and from the sweat that could still be seen on her face, Naoki guessed that she'd been doing some kind of exercise not long before.

"Just got back from a jog," she stated, wiping some sweat from her face and answering his unasked question. "Thought I'd come by, see how you were."

"Catching up on some reading," Naoki replied, relaxing back into the soft couch again. "Going to stay a while?"

"For a little while, if that's fine with you," Sumiko said, letting a small smile cross her face. Naoki had made it clear that she was welcome anytime; they'd been friends for so long that it was understood between the both of them, but Naoki felt the need to state it anyway. Naoki simply gestured for her to sit down beside him, and she crossed the short length to the couch easily before taking a seat. As she did, she glanced over at the magazine he'd been reading, then picked it up for a moment to look at the front cover.

"_The Strahl-Miyazaki Journal?_" she asked, looking over at Naoki curiously. "You've taken an interest in finance now?"

"I thought you knew I've always had an interest in that," he remarked, not expecting the question. "I considered joining Merchant's Alley for a time, actually, but decided against it." Sumiko nodded lightly, putting the magazine back and re-opening it to the point where he'd left off.

"Why didn't you join, then?"

"I wanted to get an idea of what it was like to be a SeeD, first. I may still go back and try to join later - who knows."

"I see..." she said quietly, pausing for a moment and leaning back into the couch. "How's your family? Is Masaru doing well?"

Naoki chuckled quietly - Masaru was his younger brother, only eleven years old. He sent letters to his family almost every week to keep in touch, and his parents had happily recounted how his brother was finally starting to grow into his rightful place as a clan member. He'd started learning some of their clan techniques and practices, and his father was especially proud of how far the younger boy had come ever since Naoki left for Trabia.

"He's doing fine, from what I've heard. Father says that he's put quite a bit of effort into his training and schooling lately, ever since we left, and he's well on his way to finally being able to perform some of our first techniques."

"The _Gokakyuu?_"

"That, and _Housenka _as well," Naoki stated with a quick nod. Both were the most basic techniques of his clan - easy to learn the principles behind and execution of, and only requiring simplistic levels of control and power to begin with.

"You learned that at, what...nine?"

"Ten, actually. He's a little older than I was when I started practicing. Mother always was a little more protective of him than me," he answered with a chuckle.

"That's certainly the truth," Sumiko remarked. "I don't think it was for lack of trying, though - she certainly worried about you a lot, from what I remember."

"Agreed. What about your family? Have you talked to them lately?"

"Not all of them. Mayu's been in Esthar for a while, and so I haven't heard anything from her lately at all. Koichi's started to take an interest in all the leadership and politics, from what I've been told...and Kiyoko's still getting babied by everybody, as usual." She said the last part with an amused look on her face, causing Naoki to laugh again at the thought. Unlike Naoki, Sumiko came from a larger immediate family - she was the second-oldest of four. Mayu, her older sister, was four years her senior, while Koichi, her only brother, was only two years her junior at seventeen years old. The youngest, Kiyoko, was only ten, and all three of her older siblings - Sumiko included - still treated her like the child that she was no matter how much she tried to act like she wasn't.

"Koichi wants to go into clan politics, despite not being able to have a seat on the council?" Naoki asked, curious. The Remiere clan council was unique in their hometown of Areyn for the sole fact that only females were allowed to have seats; it was the only clan in the village for which that was true, as all other clan councils were comprised of both genders.

"He's aware - his reasoning is that just because he can't have a formal seat, it doesn't mean he can't go to the others and talk with them about suggestions to make things better. A sort of liaison between the elders and the rest of the clan, you could say."

Naoki nodded. "Makes sense. What about Kiyoko? She hasn't found something to occupy herself with yet?"

"According to my mother, she's learning music, actually. Flute, if I'm not mistaken."

"Weren't you learning to play the flute a while back?"

"I was, but...let's just say that I don't quite have the musical aptitude for that," Sumiko said with a smile, shrugging. "I could play a few songs, but nothing impressive. I haven't had a chance to hear Kiyoko play, but I've heard that she's quite the natural at it."

"Maybe we should go back for a weekend, to catch up on things?" Naoki asked. "I'm sure both our families would like to actually see us for a change, instead of simply reading pieces of paper."

"A good idea," his companion replied. "I'd like to hear Kiyo's playing with my own ears, actually."

A soft chime came from the table in front of them, and Naoki reached over to pick up his GLD, recognizing the sound of an incoming message. Almost at the same time, the GLD in Sumiko's pocket let out a similar tone, and she looked over again at Naoki as she reached for it.

"Maybe our plans will have to wait for a while, hm?"

"It seems so," he remarked, eyes skimming over the message. "Did you just get the same message?"

"If you mean about reporting to the Headmaster's office for a new mission, then yes. So soon after the mission from Esthar?"

"Things seem to be quite fast-paced around here, I've noticed...especially lately," Naoki said, replacing the GLD in his pocket as he moved towards the small rack that held his katana and weapons pouches. It only took him a few seconds to attach the sheath and pouches to his belt, and he turned back towards Sumiko. "Do you want to go back for anything?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stop by and get my rapier, at least," she stated, standing up from the couch and walking around the table towards the door.

"We'll stop there, then head to the Headmaster's office, then," he remarked, heading over beside his older companion and opening the door for her. "After you."

"You're such a gentleman," Sumiko said, lips spreading into a faint smile as she walked out of the room. Naoki followed, closing and locking the door as he exited, then falling into step beside her as they headed towards her dormitory room to prep for their apparent next mission.

* * *

[July 10, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Revolver DeValle's Shop | 11:51 AM]

* * *

Darius pushed open the door to Revolver's shop lightly, hearing the faint chime of a bell as he entered and nodded to the clerk on duty behind the counter. Instantly, he was hit with the smells of metal and a haze of heat, both of which he pushed aside with practiced ease. Revolver's shop was always a bit hotter than the other areas of Garden due to the fact that he practiced some of his forging in the shop itself, and the temperature combined with the worked metal gave the shop a very gritty, dry smell and feel to it.

"Welcome," the clerk said, nodding back to Darius. "Something I can help you with?"

"Is Revolver around? I've got something to discuss with him in private."

"He should be in the back," the clerk replied, his speech punctuated by the sound of a hammer striking metal from the rear of the shop area. "If you want, I'll let him know you're here."

"Mind if I just go back and talk to him?" Darius asked. "It should only take a couple minutes."

"Not a problem. Just be careful - if he's finishing a project, some of the metal might be quite hot."

Darius nodded in response, making his way towards the back of the shop where only a cloth covering obscured a doorway's contents from the business portion of the blacksmith shop. Sweeping aside the curtain with a hand, Darius easily spotted the form of his brother hunched slightly over an anvil, hammer in hand and a shard of metal being worked atop the anvil glowing a bright orange from the heat. Revolver noticed him an instant later as he glanced up from his work and laid the hammer down on a nearby table, removing his pair of thick gloves and setting those aside as well before addressing his brother.

"Darius."

"Revolver. Got a minute? I've got something important to ask you. It'll only take a few minutes, I promise."

Revolver's expression didn't change, but he immediately got the feeling that something was amiss in some way - Darius was being unusually serious, unlike his normal joking and sarcastic demeanor. He was long used to his brother's antics, and the absence of any such witticisms immediately brought his sense of curiosity to the fore.

"I can make some time. Is there a problem?"

"It's...not really a problem. Not yet, anyway," Darius said, keeping his voice calm but quiet. Revolver could see a change in his eyes as Darius met his gaze, speaking with quiet intensity. "It's about Lindsey."

Those three words were among the last statements Revolver expected to hear come out of his younger brother's mouth, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the pair of DeValle sons as Revolver took in Darius' statement. Lindsey Geneave, Darius' former girlfriend from Galbadia, had been killed years ago, and her death had been - in Revolver's eyes, at least - the driving reason behind Darius' decision to embrace his father's unsavory dealings and become a member of House DeValle's shady underworld business. Darius had tried to find out who had killed her for months after, but nothing that either he or the Galbadian police had found had ever led to anything conclusive, and the formal case file had been closed due to lack of leads and evidence long ago. For him to be mentioning her now, dredging up old wounds like this...

Revolver focused his full attention on Darius, his work now easily forgotten as he motioned for Darius to take a seat near the back of his metallurgy and smithing room. The marksman quietly walked over and sat down on a metal folding chair, Revolver following suit a moment later.

"Go on."

"I don't know all the details just yet, but dad found something, and it has to do with Lindsey's death. Specifically, he might have a lead on her killer, and somehow Vector Industries is involved. He's letting me take a team to Galbadia to investigate, and I'm sure he knows a lot more than he's letting on, but I'm willing to gamble on it." Darius' words were succinct and direct; obviously, this wasn't something he felt like wasting time explaining. "I want you on that team. Andréa and the rest of her team, sans Powell, will be along as well."

Darius certainly knew how to push the right buttons, Revolver thought to himself. Andréa was a natural choice, given her skill at field work and her close relationship to Darius himself, but she had a much closer relationship to Revolver than most realized. The two of them were, unbeknownst to most, in a romantic relationship, though they only really treated each other like such while in private. Darius choosing her for this mission and then asking him as well, Revolver knew, was hardly any kind of accident given the circumstances.

"How long will this last?" Revolver asked.

"I don't know. We could be there a day, we could be there two weeks. Dad assured me that time wouldn't be a constraint on this."

"I'll need time to prepare. Attend whatever else you need. I won't take long."

Revolver turned back, resuming his work. This would be an interesting assignment, and any chance to help Darius bring closure to such a life-altering event might be just what he'd need to turn back to the honorable light he'd been following before.

'_There might be hope for him yet,_' mused the older DeValle as the younger slipped out to assemble his team.

* * *

And with this, the first arc of Book II officially begins. First, a little bit about the arc itself.

This arc will be a shorter arc than the others, detailing more about Darius' past and his relationship with Lindsey Geneave, as well as what happened the fateful day when she was shot in then-Deling City. Along with that, this arc will prominently feature a few of the other, more 'minor' characters, such as Andréa, Revolver, and Silvia, and their relationships both to Darius and to the others in the team with him. A lot of this chapter, for example, was spent going over a bit more backstory for Naoki and Sumiko, characters that haven't gotten a lot of focus time yet in the story. I plan to change that; it's my hope that by the time the story is over, every character gets a decent amount of detail as to _their_ story, no matter what it is, and why they are where they are now.

Until next time...


	66. II, I, II: Hourglass

This chapter is...interesting to me. This arc will be styled a little differently than the others, mostly because of the content. I'm a big fan of the show Burn Notice, and anyone familiar with the show will immediately see a few references in this chapter; the general style of this arc that I'm shooting for is similar to that of the show.

Begin!

* * *

_Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit_

_Chapter II—Hourglass_

* * *

_"Sam, we've got a problem."_

_"What kind of problem?"_

_"Remember that job in Galbadia, two years ago? Kitaen?"_

_"Galbadia...wait a minute, you mean _that _job?"_

_"Yeah. There's a problem. I think he might be back on the trail. Can you meet me at the usual?"_

_"I'll be there, Fi. How long?"_

_"Give me thirty, and I'll be out."_

* * *

[July 10, 2152 | Esthar, Jarevin's Dining Hall | 12:02 PM]

* * *

A cold breeze whipped through the air and made Fiona Carmichael pull her jacket closer around herself as she watched cars go by on the Estharian streets, waiting for her companion to arrive. The blond woman had been a model member of the Estharian army, going through basic training and then moving on to take specialist training through the military's sniper training academy in order to hone her skills with a rifle and her above-average instincts. Unfortunately, the missions she were sent on were mostly cut and dry, as things went, and she found that she wanted something more when it came to the desire to test her skills. She felt more and more like a slowly-rusting tool, gradually losing her keen edge despite the time she put in during operations. It had eaten away at her over time, and she found that the moment her contracted time in the army expired, she had signed her discharge papers and booked a ticket to Galbadia, one sole purpose on her mind - to join the mercenary organization known as SeeD.

Once a member of SeeD, Fiona found that her thirst for adrenaline had finally, more or less, been sated - dangerous missions requiring a keen eye and a steady hand were the norm, and she fed greedily off the exultation and threats like a parched man at an eternal well. But in time, things changed, and it wasn't until a fateful mission in the streets of Dollet that Fiona found herself with a decision to make that she'd already faced once before. Much as she had in the army, she handed in her resignation from SeeD, making her way to Dollet for more...unsavory dealings. SeeD generally tried to stay to the moral high road, at least in the eyes of the public, but Fiona found that much like it had been for her in the Estharian military, taking the road of morality was a far cry from decisions she herself wanted to make on occasion...especially for those who deserved it in her eyes.

Estharian military training and SeeD training in the academy known primarily for firearm usage were a deadly combination in the hands of a budding gun-for-hire, and it didn't take long for Fiona Carmichael's name to be known all over the criminal underworld as an elite marksman that would take any job and make it happen, so long as the price was right. She'd even managed to fight off SeeD teams that had been picked to take her down once or twice; knowing the strategies that her foes were likely to use and general knowledge of how they operated helped quite a bit in that regard.

One day, though, that had all changed...and the events of one fateful day in Deling City two years ago were the reason why she was sitting in a chair outside of a coffee shop in Esthar, waiting on an acquaintance of hers.

"Fi?"

Fiona turned, facing the sound of the sudden voice that roused her from her thoughts, and came face-to-face with a dark-skinned man in the process of reaching for another chair to sit down in across from her. His hair was shaven completely, leaving him bald and clean-cut except for a short, well-groomed mustache, and his long-sleeved shirt and jeans were a great deal more casual than Fiona's own business attire.

"Sam...you made it."

"Of course I did. Last time I saw you this spooked was...well, never."

"I'm not spooked," she remarked, a defensive edge creeping into her voice. Sam chuckled, waving a waiter over to place a drink order.

"Okay, skittish - better? Point is, you're on edge, no matter how much you're tryin' to hide it right now."

"Wouldn't you be? I'm only human, after all, and you know what I was calling about."

Sam nodded, absently turning to the waiter that had come to their table and placing a quick order before turning back to Fiona. "True enough. So, you really think he's back on your trail again, huh? I thought you and Kitaen threw him off pretty good the last time?"

"We did, and that's the problem. I made sure of it - _you _made sure of it. There's no way that he could've found out anything new unless he has the luck of Hyne herself..."

"...Or someone fed him something recently that we didn't see coming," Sam said, finishing the woman's thought. An instant later, his eyes lit up in surprise as pieces started fitting together in his thoughts. "You don't think...?"

"You guessed it. The Senior."

"Oh...hell."

"Sam, you know as well as I do that if his son comes after me now, after everything I've done to make this stick, this op could go south incredibly quickly."

"I know, I know," the older man replied, shaking off his momentary surprise and focusing on the task at hand. Outwitting someone like the Senior was tough, but not impossible, and the pair both knew firsthand that his youngest son was just as clever - in some ways, more so - than his father. "You're the one with the knowledge of what happened - if you were the kid, where would you pick up?"

Fiona's eyes fell to the table as she contemplated the question, listening to the sound of a glass being set upon the table as the waiter returned with Sam's drink. "He has a number of avenues, but I don't think he'll simply jump back in where he left off two years ago."

"Why's that?" Sam asked, taking a sip of the beer he had ordered as he watched Fiona.

"There's a few reasons. First, this is a second chance for him - if I know anything about him, he'll do everything he can to make sure this doesn't get away from him again. That means he won't be rushing in and doing reckless things like last time. That'll buy us some time, as well; he'll be moving at a more cautious pace, which gives us enough leeway to try and come up with something. Secondly, you have to remember that he's SeeD. The absolute first thing he's going to do is scout the situation and see just how much has changed since the last time he was involved. He's going to recheck information, double back on leads, reaffirm connections...everything he can to make sure the game hasn't changed the rules since he played last."

Sam nodded; the thoughts made sense to him as well. He just hoped that Fiona wasn't jumping to conclusions about the boy's personality and motives this time around. "That's all well and good, Fi, but it still doesn't tell us where he's likely to check first."

"Lassiter."

"Hm?"

"Quintin Lassiter - you remember him, don't you?"

"That's...your old dealer, right?" Sam asked after a moment of careful thought. Fiona nodded in affirmation.

"Right. You can't have a job without supplies, and he's going to make sure that Lassiter told him about the _right _supplies last time, so he's not on a wild chocobo chase."

"Can I safely guess that you're not telling me all this just to have a friendly ear?"

"Sam..."

"Fi, really? You're going to try this _again?_" Sam asked, mild disbelief appearing on his face. He knew that his friend was stubborn, and when it came to a job...she _never _left one unfinished, no matter what. Military and SeeD training had taken the natural perfectionist in her and given it an almost fanatical slant at times.

"_Sam_. I am _not _letting this come down around me, not now. But I can't do it alone. I _need _your help." Her tone, while insistent, held more than a hint of pleading, and there was a moment of silence from Sam as he watched his companion, unused to seeing her quite like this. Finally, he sighed and raised his glass, downing the rest of his drink in one go before setting it back on the table.

"I'm gonna need another drink for this."

* * *

[July 10, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 12:47 PM]

* * *

"You're...you're serious."

Silvia Conrad let a rare moment of surprise lapse across her features at the words Darius had just spoken to her. She couldn't believe her ears...after all this time, all the torment he'd been put through, he may finally have another chance? It sounded like honeyed words from a fleeting dream, but she knew him all too well. There was absolutely no way that he would ever bring up this topic unless he was positive there was _something_left to do.

"I'm serious," Darius confirmed, pouring himself a cup of tea from the fresh pot between them. "I'm putting the team together now, and I want you to be on it."

Silvia had known Darius for years, and was quite possibly one of the only people who Darius would ever lay his most coveted title of "friend" upon. She had a knack for business principles that he had long since admired ever since meeting her during a visit to Conrad Synthetics, and could best him - and just about anyone he knew - in a classroom setting with how quickly she absorbed knowledge and topics. Not only that, she was his equal in wit, an area which he found he had few people around who he could engage in that could give as good as they got.

Truth be told, she wasn't a half-bad shot with a gun, either. SeeD training had only improved every aspect of her studies, after all.

"Who else knows?"

"Right now? Andréa and the rest of your team, minus one," Darius stated. "And Revolver."

There was a long moment of silence as Silvia sat beside her friend, simply watching him - over the years, she'd learned to read the marksman despite the uncaring expression he tended to hold more often than not.

"Darius," she began, her face turning solemn, "do you really even have to ask? Lindsey was a friend of mine, too. You know as well as I do that if you truly want to delve into this again, I'll be right there beside you to help."

"I always knew I could count on you in a pinch," Darius replies, a small smile gracing his face for a moment before being replaced by a frown. "I just hope everyone else is as amenable."

"What made you decide?" Silvia asked, looking at the solemn face of her friend. "New information, or has it just...finally gotten to you again?"

Darius sighed deeply, meeting her eyes. "Honestly? Both. This...this was always my biggest failing, the one thing that I was never good enough to close the book on. To finally have the chance to know the truth and put it all behind me...I'd do anything."

"Why Revolver?" she continued, her interest now firmly piqued. Darius and his brothers were distant at best, most of the time, and Silvia knew just how much pride he had to swallow to consider asking one or both of them for help.

"Revolver...I guess you could say he deserves it, after all this time. We used to be a lot closer, but after Lindsey died, dad drew me into all the 'family' business, and...well, you know the rest."

"You couldn't keep your relationship with Revolver intact?"

Darius had rarely ever talked about his brothers and how he felt about them, even to her, and Silvia found herself drawn in more and more at his words.

"Do you know how Revolver feels about the 'family?' He loathes it, completely and utterly. I always thought it was part of the reason he chose to become a blacksmith, to create things instead of destroying them as we always did. He still has some resentment towards dad over how he drew me in the way he did."

"But the Senior doesn't care, does he?"

"Not really. Revolver made his choice, he thinks, and that's where he leaves it. Besides, Revolver just might try to kill him if dad ever has another proposition on the table for him."

Silvia nodded in understanding - she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Darius, given everything he seemed to have lost besides Lindsey herself due to the events. The way he talked, he almost made it seem as if his brothers had given up on him as well.

"What about Katanas?"

"Katanas...now there's a strange one," Darius said with a chuckle. "He acts like he doesn't care and has nothing to do with it...but I know better. He's got his own skeletons hiding in the closet, after all. Guess who taught me everything I know about business?"

The inflection in Darius' voice on the last word left little doubt in Silvia's mind as to what he was referring to, and this time her eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't mean..."

"Oh yeah," Darius replied, smirking. "When it gets right down to it, he can beat me at my own game - but don't tell him I told you."

Silvia smiled, taking a sip of her tea. "It's...nice, to see you being open like this, I mean. You usually don't tell anyone anything, even me."

Darius nodded again. "I know. It's part of the reason I wanted to come ask you personally, instead of just sending a message over the GLD. Silvia, you know how I feel about this. I feel like I've been living with this for two decades, not two years. I just...wanted to get all this off my chest beforehand, I think. I can't stand to think about what will happen if I fail again."

"Did you forget SeeD's motto already?" his companion asked. "We always get the job done, no matter what. You're better now than you were then, and you're not alone this time, either. There's no way you'll be stopped again, not by anything."

"I...thanks," Darius said, closing his eyes. "Sometimes, I feel like you're the only person who could ever understand how I feel about all this.

"Of course. If I didn't look out for you, who would?"

* * *

[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Fifth Division Barracks]

* * *

I can certainly say that I've rarely seen a place with such grandiose architecture as the Ethereal Plane. Everything in the plane has its place, but at the same time is elegant and capable of drawing the eye almost magnetically with the aesthetics of it all. It's quite strange, then, to see a place as...subdued, for lack of a better word, as the barracks formerly belonging to the Order of Grim Angels. Where most of the architecture in the Upper Court is pearl-white and pristinely kept, made of shimmering metal and crystal-clear glass, the division barracks are built from simple wood and the occasional piece of dark metal, unassuming and silent compared to the expanse of the Palace of Creation that looms before it. Styled with gently curving roofs and simple rectangular frames, the buildings - each no more than three or four stories - are all deserted, now just remnants of a terrible conflict centuries ago that I've only recently come to understand.

"Was this your division?" I ask, looking over at Lady Inihara, who is leading me out into the open field in front of one of the large barracks. Silently, she nods, looking up at the front portion of the building's overhanging roof, upon which a single symbol is adorned that I can't decipher.

"This was the barracks of the Fifth Division," she says, motioning up towards the building. "I was once the Captain of this division, some three centuries ago. Now, I am the only one left, the only one who chose to stay following the Harrowing."

"The only member of your division?"

"Of my race."

My eyes widen at the statement - does that mean...?

"You mean...everyone else was killed?"

She nods silently. "I am a _Malakh_, not an _Erudite _like the rest of this plane's inhabitants. We were once a numerous race, but...the war took its toll most heavily on my kind. Only a scant few of us remain, and of those, I am the only one who decided to remain here with Lady Freya following those events. Those few others who were fortunate enough to survive decided to travel to Soul Society, where they still remain as part of the new Order of Grim Angels serving under the Lord Sovereign."

All at once, I stop, overwhelmed by the mere thought of what she's just described. I've lost family and friends, but this...this goes so far beyond that loss that I can't even begin to imagine what kind of pain it must have caused her in the past. I hadn't realized that she was not an _Erudite _until her statement just now, and to hear something like this...I would have never suspected it, given her demeanor, had she not just told me herself.

"...How do you cope?" I finally ask, watching as she stops at the words. "Knowing that you're almost the only one left out of everyone...how do you even keep going?"

"I will not say that it is easy," she says after a moment, "but it has been many years since that time. Those wounds can never heal, but they have become easier to bear over time. My love for this plane, my desire to protect it and everyone within...that is the reason why I initially joined the Order, and it is what keeps me driving forward despite my past."

**_"Such sweet words," _**Manes suddenly comments, jarring my focus for the briefest instant. **_"I believe I feel tears about to fall."_**

A surge of irritation washes over me at the words, despite my feelings just moments ago, and my response is angry and sharp. _'Tears? I don't think you demons are even capable of _feeling _anything, let alone crying. Love, devotion - they're all just words to you, things you can't even _comprehend_, let alone experience!'_

I can feel myself tense, ready for another sarcastic quip from the demon locked in my mind...but strangely, the expected snide words do not come. I can feel his presence fade back into the depths of my mind a moment later, and I find myself immediately wondering if I finally struck a nerve with the _Daiesthai._

I still think it's impossible, of course, but it would be nice to know that I have a way to shut him up if I need it.

"The _Daiesthai _again?" I hear Lady Inihara ask, and I nod as I bring my attention back to her and resume walking towards the barracks. "We will be addressing that, as well. We are...familiar with your situation, in a manner of speaking, and I have some ideas on how to help you keep the _Daiesthai's _personality and influence in check."

A curt nod is the only response I give for a moment before another part of her statement registers. "Wait, 'we?' I thought you were training me alone?"

She looks back at me, continuing to lead the way, and I finally see a small smile appear on her face as she speaks again. "Initially, that was the plan. However, I made some arrangements, with Lady Freya's blessing, which I believe will make things easier in the long run. You may also be receiving some basic instruction from Lady Freya's other Planeswalkers, though I have not been able to confirm whether that will be the case at the moment."

Not for the first time, I'm starting to feel like I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to those in the Ethereal Plane and their history.

"There are others I don't know?"

"At the present time, you are but one of four Planeswalkers under Lady Freya's guidance, another of whom - Liam Bayloh - you are already acquainted with. Maria Hiraki is a young Planeswalker who was chosen just before you yourself were, and is in fact from your own realm as well. Mai Kuroki is Freya's longest serving Planeswalker, and holds the distinction of being the only _Erudite _ever chosen for the position."

"Another Planeswalker from Earth?" I ask, excitedly. "Will I get to meet them?"

"She is away on a mission currently," the _Malakh _replies, "and I am not sure when she will be returning. Mai, however, may be assisting with your training at a later time."

"Got it," I say, calming myself once again.

"Now, however, I would like to introduce you to my aforementioned associate," Kari continues, causing me to glance around the area confusedly - there's no one else here, sans ourselves.

"...Are they late? I don't see anyone else," I remark, looking around the area and also reaching out with my senses to try and pick up on anyone's spiritual energy. Even though I've just started to really learn to use it, it feels...comfortable, in a way, to try. Kari just smiles, stepping forward a bit and turning to face me.

"They are exactly on time, actually," she says, reaching a hand out beside her and motioning down, as if to pull something. As she does, her hand glows with light, and what looks to be a cloak of magical energy peels itself away from thin air, revealing a male with short, spiky brown hair and a long white overcoat, worn over an entirely black outfit and sandals.

"You ruined my entrance, you know," the previously-cloaked man announces, reaching into the folds of his coat and pulling out...an apple?

"I am aware of that," she says calmly, smiling over at the man. "Sir Powell, allow me to introduce Etchel Beoulve, the current Captain of the Order of Grim Angels' Second Division within Soul Society."

Seeing the figure seemingly appear out of thin air startles me for a brief instant, but I quickly find myself turning more in the direction of curiosity as to how he managed to cloak himself so - random personal appearances are more or less a daily occurrence for a Planeswalker, after all.

"Can I safely assume he's a close friend of yours?" I ask, looking between the two of them, to which she nods.

"We have known each other since the Order existed within this plane," she confirms. "He is the one who helped me step into the role of Captain of my own division during the Harrowing."

I nod quickly, understanding how close the two of them must be if they've known each other for that long...before a different part of her statement piques my interest. "Wait a minute. You said his last name is 'Beoulve,' right? As in, Ein and Andréa Beoulve?"

"Oh, so you know my kids," Etchel says, taking a bite of his apple. "Nice to know."

"They're your kids? But, aren't you an Ethereal being?"

"Sure am."

"Does that mean - "

"That they are, too? Sure does," he says, smiling. "Well. Half-_Malakh_, anyway."

"...Well, that's new," I mutter, not really sure what else to say. Unusual happenings and traits in my own circle of acquaintances are quickly becoming a common and normal occurrence, it seems. Kari shares another quick look at Etchel before turning her attention back to me, seemingly ready to put the pleasantries on hold and get down to the reason for being here.

"As Lady Freya has desired for us to instruct you," the young woman says, "I believe it would be best to obtain a relative idea of your capabilities before we do anything else."

"And that means…?" I ask, unsure of exactly what she plans on doing. This is the first time I've ever been taught anything by an Ethereal entity, and I don't know what methods they tend to use for doing things.

"Lady Freya wishes not just for Beoulve_-taichou _and I to teach you to control the demon you now have locked within your mind, but to learn just what it means to exceed the limits that most _Hume _are capable of reaching, as Sir Bayloh has already accomplished." She turns and starts to walk as she finishes speaking, looking over at the other figure present outside with us as she does and earning a brief nod from him for her efforts. "First, I would like to see what kind of skill you possess as Freya's newest chosen. This will give us an accurate idea of how we may structure your training."

Slowly, I nod, even though I'm finding myself immediately curious as to what she means by 'exceeding the limits of _Hume._'

"This training will be more difficult than any you have undergone so far. Remember that you were chosen to serve Lady Freya for a reason – never allow yourself to forget that. Your inner strength and well-being matters just as much as your physical health, perhaps even more so…and it is that strength which will allow you to succeed in your training with us."

Slowly, she unsheathes the slender blade at her side, letting it rest in her hand as she holds it beside her and prepares to begin.

"Don't hold back, either. We need to know the limits of what you can do now, so that we know how you may best improve. Whenever you are ready, you can begin."

**_"Giving you the first move…how noble," _**Manes says sarcastically in my mind, causing me to try and block out the distraction and draw both of my blades from my side. I may as well do as she says; limiting myself won't get me anywhere.

_'Pipe down and let me get on with this.'_

My body easily shifts into a prepared stance as I take a deep breath, and magic starts to flow around my body as I cast two spells on myself at once – _Haste _and _Regen_spells, in order to enhance my body. In my next move, I race towards the former Grim Angel in order to see how good she is at melee combat.

Which, to be perfectly honest with myself, is probably far better than I could hope to be right now.

My opening move is a slice with my right-hand blade fast enough to get the drop on practically any average fighter, but the woman in front of me simply deflects the blade as if she saw it coming a mile away, then snaps her blade back into line to parry the thrust of my left weapon with the same ease. The next few seconds are a flurry of steel meeting steel as my twin weapons, despite moving with magically-enhanced speed and striking from a variety of angles, are completely unable to throw off the dark-haired woman's guard by even an inch. My eyes widen as she suddenly sweeps her blade out in a quick horizontal counter, and I flip back and away to avoid getting cut, energy already gathering around my blade as I prepare for a different attack.

The _Crescent Strike _attack screams from my blade from barely a few meters away, covering the distance between me and my opponent in seemingly-unavoidable time…but it just keeps moving, no contact made with the woman who is suddenly not in my field of vision at all.

"Good reaction time," she comments from _above _me, causing me to look up and see her quite literally standing on air as if it were solid ground. The sight makes me stop completely, fascinated as to how she could be doing something like that – _Float _magic of some kind, maybe?

"How…?" I ask perplexedly, deciding to take the forward approach. She merely smiles down at me, vanishing again – along with what I hear this time as a sudden noise like wind shifting – and appearing back in front of me.

"You'll learn, in time. Once we teach you how to keep a bit more control over your _reishi_, that is," she replies.

"_Reishi? _What's that?"

"Another term for spiritual energy. Mana, _reishi, _spiritual energy…those are simply different names for the same power."

I nod quickly, deciding to take a moment and ask another question. "What's with the disappearing thing you just did? Are you a Planeswalker, too?"

"No," she says with a shake of her head, "I am not a Planeswalker. What I used is called _Shunpo_, more commonly referred to as 'flash steps.' That, as well, is something that you may have the potential to learn under our guidance."

The look that comes across my face probably looks similar to that of a kid at Christmas – another method of instantaneous movement that doesn't draw on my Planeswalker abilities would fit nicely into the style of fighting I've been settling into.

"Then I guess I need to prove I'm worthy to learn it," I remark, retaking my stance for a moment before I leap forward and vanish, drawing on my Planeswalker abilities to blink forward in a brief burst of intraplanar travel. I reappear right beside Lady Inihara, slicing out with both of my blades at her unprotected flank, only to have her bat the first slice away and lock blades with the second, releasing one hand from the blade and pointing it at me as her palm starts to glow with red light.

"Destructive Art number thirty-one: Shot of Red Fire!"

I'm moving back even as she reaches the midpoint of her incantation, which gives me a bit of distance before she releases the attack towards me, a fast-moving ball of red energy that flies forward and crashes into my quickly-crossed swords. The energy engulfs me, burning enough to be noticeable but not enough to really hurt me, and I tear through the haze of energy only to find the _Malakh _directly in front of me with sword raised, having used the energy as cover to close in again. Our swords collide again with an echoing crash, and I counter with my left blade only to have her leap back and out of range again before casting what seems to be an _Aero _spell at me, blowing me back and off my feet to roll across the ground.

**_"You're a disgrace!" _**Manes suddenly yells from within my mind, startling me even as I get back to my feet. **_"If you're going to fight, fight like you mean it! Fight like you want to kill the one in front of you!"_**

My mouth opens for a retort, as much verbal as mental…and then shuts again, because despite how condescending and vile the _Daiesthai _is, he has somewhat of a point. There's no way that I could possibly hurt an Ethereal being as I am…so why aren't I giving it everything I have?

_'Fine…'_

"You look as if you are ready to be serious about this," Lady Inihara comments, watching as I retake my stance.

"Yeah. I am."

_Haste _magic flows over me again, and I dash once again into melee range, opening up with a fierce barrage of strikes that send ripples of energy bursting from our blades with every block and parry. My left-hand sword is suddenly turned aside as Lady Inihara's sword slices out at me, but a swirling cloak of frost materializes around me as I draw on my Alchemy,deflecting the strike and causing a thin layer of ice to sweep over the metal. The _Malakh _looks surprised for a brief moment, and my sword slices out horizontally as I keep focusing on Alchemy, sending a thin wave of ice out from the blade by compressing and crystallizing the moisture in the air. It explodes a moment later, meeting another of the red fireballs, and the female swoops in again for another attack, her blade cutting out and striking mine with surprising force in a fluid series of slices. I'm pushed back for a moment before I regain my footing, and it takes the release of another burst of ice from my blade to finally gain a moment of distance from her, a plan forming in my mind.

My left-hand blade returns to its sheath as I start focusing on my Alchemy again, the circle on the back of my left hand shimmering as I draw moisture from the air along with my own mana in order to release a series of sharpened icicles at the woman before me. Just like the wave of ice from before, the group of icicles is shattered into pieces by a burst of energy, falling to the ground around the area like a rain of broken glass. There's a mild look of curiosity on her face as the haze of energy clears, as if she is wondering why I would stick to a tactic that's so easily deflected and rendered ineffectual instead of going back to melee combat. She starts to move again, but I instantly meet her halfway by blinking forward again and stabbing out, forcing her to twist aside lest she be impaled by her own momentum. My sword flies upward, but my left hand gestures to the right side of me and releases a _Water _spell, catching her off-guard momentarily and also putting her off-balance as the magical liquid forces her back.

That, to me, isn't the important thing, however.

**_"She's still toying with you, you know," _**Manes comments absently, causing me to smile.

_'Oh, I know. In fact, I'm counting on it.'_

Another quick flurry of strikes is exchanged, blades ringing against each other with loud metallic sounds before I break away again, deferring to her superior skill in melee combat in order to get some distance. _Water _magic gathers again in my right hand, and I release it at the _Malakh _from a distance before casting a second spell right afterwards – _Firaga _magic – which is aimed not at the one in front of me, but at my previous spell. Lady Inihara looks surprised for a brief instant as the watery magic explodes into a large cloud of steam, superheated by the ball of flame, and a nasty smirk spreads across my face as I instantly drop to a kneeling position, pressing my left hand to the ground as the transmutation circle emblazoned on it flares with Alchemic energy.

The crackle of energy in the air becomes pronounced as the icicles on the ground begin to crack and fragment, while the steam and moisture in the air chills, turning into more sharpened spikes of ice…all of which are surrounding the woman in front of me, both on the ground and in the air. All at once, the storm of shards explodes around her, sending hundreds of tiny pieces of ice flying around the area like an icy fragmentation grenade.

_'I could really grow to like this Alchemy thing…'_I think to myself, admiring my handiwork…before realizing that the explosion of the ice around her wasn't entirely caused by my Alchemy. A sudden gust of wind blows the last of the steam and fragments away, revealing Lady Inihara standing in the midst of it all holding a different weapon than she held moments ago – some sort of curved blade on the end of a chain, with a long spike attached to the other end of the chain.

"Inventive," she states, nodding approvingly. "You've grown quite a bit since your encounter with the Pillar of Fate, it seems."

_'Well...crap. I was hoping to at least scratch her.'_

"Thanks," I say, letting my sword rest at my side as she does the same with her unusual weapon. "I...kinda felt bad a while back when Lady Freya called me to help fight Fayt. I couldn't really do much there, and after Destine showed up and had Manes take me out, it opened my eyes a bit on how much I needed to improve."

"Everything takes time," she replies, nodding. "Do not worry. We will teach you all that we are able to." The weapon in her hands shimmers again, flowing back into the form of a sword, and she quickly replaces it in her sheath as I do the same with my own blade.

"So, where do you want to start?" Etchel asks her, tossing the remains of his apple up and down with one hand.

"Give me a few minutes to contemplate what I have just seen, and I will let you know," she comments, glancing over to Etchel as she speaks. "For now, Sir Powell, you may go inside the barracks and rest for the moment. We will join you shortly."

* * *

Lots of things going on in this chapter, for sure. As I've said before, a great deal of this arc will likely be dedicated to exploring the relationships between several characters, most of whom have relationships with Darius in some way, shape, or form. I went to a lot of trouble detailing Fiona's past while introducing her, and there will be a good reason for that, as several pieces of her background will play a part in this upcoming arc.

Silvia is a character I've wanted to focus on some for a while now, as she is one of the few people who Darius still allows to be close to him. She and Lindsey got along amicably while Darius was dating her, and Silvia considered her a sort of surrogate sister in a sense given their relationship with one another. Lindsey's death struck her as well, though not nearly as hard as Darius, obviously, and she is more than willing to give Darius any assistance she can to help him finally find some closure. Darius' relationships with his two brothers and father are quite different now than they used to be, which will be brought up again later on.

Also, here's the reason why Ben won't be along for the ride - he's dealing with other concerns at the moment. His Garden duties have been put on hiatus at present while he tries to sort out his new 'situation' of sorts.

Hopefully, I'll be able to style this arc the way that I imagine it playing out in my head; I've high hopes for it, and can only hope that I can see them carried out. Until next time...


	67. II, I, III: Facts

Again, my apologies for the long delay. I've had a few major personal issues and changes to work through lately that killed my drive to write for a while. This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, as well.

Begin!

* * *

_Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit_

_Chapter III—Facts_

* * *

[July 11, 2152 | Galbadia City, Jakob's Armory | 7:12 PM]

* * *

It was early evening, but Quintin Lassiter's business was just starting to pick up steam for the day. Business hours in Galbadia City were unusual on the best of days due to the city's nighttime slant. Business itself was good; over time, he had forced out other gun dealers from what he considered 'his turf,' whether displacing them to another district or out of the city altogether. His under-the table dealings helped a lot in that respect, giving him the freedom to lower prices far more than normal while at the same time making tidy profits from his side ventures, tax-free and off the books. The fragrant aroma of his drink roused him briefly from his thoughts, and he took another sip of his coffee before delving back into his thoughts for the day ahead. A couple more hours of peddling goods and he'd be off, probably to find some pretty courtesan to accompany him on a night of fun and drinks in the Shining Night.

The bell on his door rang as he returned his drink to the counter, causing him to lean an elbow on the polished wood as he let out a nearly automatic 'can I help you?' to his new customer.

That was when he saw the red hair.

Quintin could feel the blood drain from his face as he stood there, looking at the face of the person who had just walked in. As a part of the criminal underworld, he didn't fear many people given his position as a gun runner, but this particular person...he'd had a bit of an encounter with in the past.

One that had left him frequently praying to Hyne that it would be the _last _encounter, but an encounter all the same.

"If it isn't my old friend Quintin," Darius DeValle said, smirking as he walked in the door. "Nice to see you haven't forgotten about me," he added a moment later, noticing the panicked look on the store owner's face.

Quintin did the only thing that immediately came to mind.

He ran.

Breaking from his position behind the counter, he whirled for the entrance to his storeroom, toppling his cup of coffee in the process and nearly tripping over a trash can behind the counter as he shoved open the door leading into the back. Darius sighed, and lightning crackled around his body briefly as he moved, his reactions and movement enhanced by his Lightning Alchemy as he made to pursue Lassiter. He really didn't want to have to chase the guy down, but if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that people _always _ran. It wasn't like he was going to hurt Lassiter, after all.

Unless he didn't cooperate, that is.

The back door of the shop burst open as Lassiter fled into the street, sparing a panicked glance behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed as he took off. Forget his shop, forget his wares, he was _not _going to have another conversation with that man as long as he lived, no matter what it took. He remembered well what it had cost him the last time, and he had no intentions of reliving that.

His orientation suddenly warped violently as something crashed into him hard from the side, throwing him off his feet and into the wall of the building he was beside before pinning him there like a bar of unbending steel. He blinked for a moment to clear his vision and reorient himself, coughing a few times before looking up into a stern face framed by long white hair.

"Going somewhere?" Revolver DeValle asked, one arm pinning Lassiter to the brick wall with junctioned strength and the other idly resting by a small battle hammer hanging at his side.

"Man, you'd think he wasn't happy to see me or something," Darius commented, walking calmly up from the direction of the back entrance as Sumiko faded out of the shadows nearby, her cloaking technique dismissed.

"This is the guy you were talking about?" she asked idly, looking over Lassiter's terrified face for a moment.

"Uh huh. One of the biggest gun dealers the underworld has to offer - Quintin Lassiter. A while back, when this whole mess started, I came to him for some...advice about what could pull off the kind of shot that killed Lindsey."

"And I...told you everything! Everything I knew!" Lassiter said, his breath regained from Revolver's staggering blow.

"Oh, I know you did. In fact, that's the whole reason I'm here, Lassiter," Darius said, walking over to the shop owner. "Just...confirming some things again, if you will. Let's take this back inside, shall we?"

* * *

"Look, I told you already. There are a lot of rifles that could've done that, even back then. Do you even know how many sniper rifles are chambered in 7.62? The Mk 24, the DSR-1, PSG-1, M25...there's a load of them. The only way you'll be able to narrow it down any more is to see if there's a forensics report on the bullet - that might narrow down which of the twenty or thirty guns it is."

Darius frowned at Lassiter's words, mostly because he realized that the man had a point. There were quite a number of rifles that possessed the characteristics needed to make the shot that had killed Lindsey, and they needed something more concrete to go on. He was just a kid when it had happened, and so the details of the police reports had been out of his reach back then - reckless and emotional or not, he hadn't wanted to try getting on the bad side of the entire Galbadia City police force.

"You ever sell any of those?"

Lassiter nodded.

"Guessing you don't have records, then. Under the table and all."

"Bingo," he confirmed. "Those rifles don't go cheap, and they don't go where people can see them. That's how the trade works, you know."

"Thing is, though..." Darius started, pacing the length of the counter, "not just anyone buys those kinds of guns. Collectors might, but if you buy a gun like that...more than likely, you're gonna use it for something."

"What's your point?"

"Oh, you know what my point is, Lassiter. How many people were there back then buying guns like that from you? Five, six at the most? You don't just become a marksman like that overnight, not to make a shot like this. Why don't you try and...jog your memory for who might've bought one of those guns, hm?" Darius said with an all-too-nice smile that promised pain for the shopkeeper should he refuse. Lassiter's face paled again, and he wiped a bead of sweat from his cheek before nodding.

"Y-Yeah. I'll do that."

"Good. I'll be back in a day or two to see what you might've remembered - and if you skip town? I'll know. Trust me."

With the same faux cheery smile, Darius clapped Lassiter on the shoulder like an old friend before making for the door, his two teammates close behind him. As the door shut, Lassiter reached up to wipe his brow with a trembling hand, glad to see the red-haired demon from his past exit his shop. He waited a minute to make sure that the boy was well and truly gone before stepping over to the door quickly and throwing the bolt locks shut, flipping the sign on the door to 'Closed' and drawing the metal bars that served as a theft deterrent closed across the inside of the storefront.

Lassiter knew well that Darius would be back, and that the younger boy meant every word he didn't say about what was sure to happen to him should he not remember something. He strode back across the room just as fast once his task was finished, heading into the back once again and moving to a wall panel on the far side of the room that he swiftly removed, exposing the small safe concealed behind it. With deft movements, he entered the combination for the lock and tugged the metal door open, reaching in and grabbing a cellphone that he kept there. Rattled though he was, there was a call he needed to make, one he'd had to promise long ago to make if the situation ever came up. His finger stabbed at the button to place a call to the only number stored in the phone's memory, and he put it to his ear as he leaned against the wall, waiting patiently for the one on the other end to pick up.

"Carmichael."

"I-It's me. Kid came by just now - thought you should know."

"Just do whatever he's told you to. I'm already on it."

The line disconnected before Lassiter could say anything further, and he dropped the phone to his side for a moment as he calmed himself. The phone he'd just called would be long disabled if anyone happened to get their hands on it - probably already was, he thought - but he didn't want to take a chance on anyone figuring out who he'd just called. His eyes looked around his shop's storage and work area, looking for something to use to trash the phone with, and his gaze settled on a long stick with a wide, square horizontal bar at the end, perpendicular to the shaft of the object.

He walked over and grabbed it, flipping the item over - a wide bar magnet that he used to pick up screws and the like from his shop floor - before placing it on the counter and taking the back off the phone, ripping the battery out before running the magnet along the phone several times to try and scramble the tiny machine's internal storage. Satisfied that he'd garbled anything that might be left in the memory, he dropped the magnet back onto the counter and moved the phone over to a counter-mounted vise. A few smooth turns of the crank on the side, and the flimsy metal and plastic of the phone shattered and broke under the unyielding pressure, leaving Lassiter with a crushed wreck of a phone in his hand. It found its way into the scrap container that held broken gun pieces and hardware, and Lassiter breathed a sigh of relief as he finally let himself relax.

'Relax' was a relative term in his situation, of course, even more so than usual. Some days, it just didn't pay to live in Galbadia.

* * *

"Satisfied?" Revolver asked Darius as he opened the door to their vehicle outside, sliding inside as Sumiko moved into the seat behind his.

"Quite," the younger DeValle remarked, smoothly sliding into the driver's seat. "For a few minutes, anyway. I'll let him sweat for a while and see what else comes out of it."

Darius, being a member of a family with quite a bit of wealth to spare, had a tendency to splurge on things that caught his fancy. Most often, that fell in the category of firearms or some high-tech accessory to go along with them, but occasionally he took a liking to something not along those lines. The car he was driving now was one such purchase he'd made not too long ago, and he'd had little chance to truly enjoy it until now. A mid-sized, four-door sedan with surprising amounts of power, the sleek metallic blue automobile had set him back a good-sized amount of Gil, but he'd fallen in love with the car following a test drive and hadn't thought twice about buying it on the spot. It accelerated quickly and cornered quite well for its size, and was more than capable of getting him from place to place in a timely manner.

"And what if he doesn't 'remember' anything?" Revolver asked coolly, prompting a quick glance from Darius just before he pulled out onto the Galbadian streets.

"I'll think of something."

The main streets were starting to fill up now as the nightlife began emerging from their homes, but the residential areas that Darius drove his small group through were as quiet as ever. Darius had planned the first step - their meeting with Lassiter - to be something short and sweet in order for them to take a moment to examine their surroundings. Sumiko and Revolver had come along with him to talk to the gun dealer, while the rest of their team had made their way to a rather innocuous house in one of the more suburban areas of the city. It was a single-story, moderately-sized brick home with little in the way of decoration, merely a tree and some bushes in the small front yard for atmosphere.

Of course, given that the house _also _belonged to Darius and was used as a safehouse for both SeeD work and personal business, the house was only innocuous on the outside. As he pulled into the garage attached to the house, he noticed that the other vehicle his team was using - a small, tan two-door sport utility vehicle - was parked within, showing that the rest had made it here safely. The door lowered behind them as they exited, and Darius wasted no time heading into the house to reconvene with the rest of the group.

"What's our next move, then?" Sumiko asked as they entered, giving a quick nod to Silvia as she followed Darius into the living room.

"Our _next _move is that there _isn't _a move - we'll wait out the night, and see what we come up with in the morning," the red-haired boy replied, leaning back into the sofa alongside one wall of the room. "Easier for us to move around in the daytime, and it'll give Lassiter time to think one way or another."

The blond girl merely nodded in understanding; she'd familiarized herself with Galbadia City and its environs, and Darius was correct in his assessment from her viewpoint. "Where are Andréa and Naoki?" she asked a moment later, noticing the conspicuous absence of two of her teammates.

"Downstairs," Darius said, shrugging. "Not sure what kind of trouble they're getting into, but feel free to go check it out. I put a lot of work into the place." He gestured off towards one area of the house, figuring that Sumiko would be able to find the stairs to the lower level, and watched as she walked off to find their two other teammates.

"You're playing this much more calmly than I expected you to," Revolver grunted, leaning against the doorframe separating the living room from the kitchen. Darius nodded as Silvia took a seat beside him, both pairs of eyes watching the white-haired DeValle brother.

"I've...had a lot of time to think about it," he said after a moment. "If I rush into this, I could lose everything, and I refuse to let that happen a second time."

Another grunt was Revolver's only reply as he turned to move back into the kitchen. It was in moments like these that he could truly see the person his younger brother used to be, and it still hurt him somewhere inside to see how much Darius had changed. He longed to put his father in his place and show him just how much his greed and arrogance had cost him, but knew that he had no way to do that without creating issues he most certainly did not want to see arise.

He would settle, then, for helping Darius chase away the ghosts of his past. It was not a solution, but it was a start.

* * *

[July 11, 2152 | Galbadia City, Galbadia City Police Department Warehouse #14 | 8:21 PM]

* * *

No matter how many times she pulled stunts like this, Fiona always felt like a chocobo walking into a den of T-Rexaurs. This was just the latest in a string of mad ideas she'd come up with an executed over the past months, she told herself, and fought back the momentary butterflies filling her stomach as she put on her best stern businesswoman expression and pushed open the doors to the structure in front of her. Adjusting the glasses she wore - glass lenses, as she didn't need any adjustments to her vision - she nodded briefly to the guard on duty at the desk as she stepped over.

"Evening," she said, letting just a twinge of her Estharian accent slip through her normally muddied mix of accents. She'd long since become skilled at keeping her accent controlled to the point where it would be hard to pick up on just where she was from, which also led her to try imitating the accents of other areas. The result was a blended mix of enunciation and pronunciation that she tended to use while in disguise, hinting at many different places but impossible to trace to any one origin.

"Evening," the guard replied, his tone jovial but marred a bit by fatigue. "Guess I'm not the only one up late."

"Seems so," she replied, stepping over to the desk and presenting an identification card to the guard. He looked it over for a moment - Det. Diana Tsurimi, he noted - before handing it back to her and shifting in his chair.

"What can I do for you, detective?" he asked.

"Just came by to pick up a case file. You remember the Holloway murders?"

The guard's momentary wince was indication enough of his impending response. "Nasty one, that. Heard they tore his case apart at trial."

"Didn't get to see it myself, but that's what I've heard too," she commented with a nod. "Unlikely as it sounds, we just received word yesterday that there has been some new evidence brought in that suggests Holloway is innocent. I didn't think there was anything that could prove that to be right, but the chief wants me to bring a copy of the case files down to go over them and see if there's any credibility to it."

"You're kidding," he muttered, shaking his head before turning to the computer at his desk and typing in a query. "Hirasi, Holcomb...Holloway. Here it is." He looked up again and turned, gesturing down the hall. "Go down the hall to 2A. They should be in there - just watch the dust. Some of those haven't been touched in a while."

"Thank you," she said, starting to make her way down the hall. "Is there a copier there as well?"

"Copy room's first door on your right there," he responded.

Fiona silently thanked the fact that sufficiently upsetting information tended to keep people from asking too many questions as she moved past the first few doors, looking for the one the guard had indicated. Her choice of case wasn't an accident - the records were stored alphabetically, as expected, and the files she was really after were in the same group. It was just a simple matter of finding something troubling enough to make people think with their emotions first and not their logic, and then keeping herself calm enough to play it out.

Child's play.

She opened the door to room 2A a minute later, flipping on the light switch on the wall beside her as she gazed over the rows and rows of folders and boxes, sorted onto plain metal shelves that lined the walls and sat in neat rows across the room. A quick glance showed her that she was in the 'G' section, which was the one she wanted, and she started running her finger down lists of files, looking for the correct one.

"Ga...Ge...Geneave."

Quickly, she pulled out the file folder and opened the contents, seeing a stack of papers inside - everything from police reports to eyewitness accounts to forensic details. Satisfied, she took all of the papers out of the folder and stuffed them into an inside pocket of her suit jacket, replacing the empty folder in its place as she moved on to the 'H' section. It wouldn't do to have everyone think she was leaving without what she came for, after all. Another moment's searching located the case file for the Holloway case, and she took the entire folder this time before exiting the room and heading for the copier. It took a few minutes for her to get the papers copied - thanks to what appeared to be one of the most archaic copy machines she'd ever seen - but the minutes passed without incident, and she soon found herself on the way out after replacing the original folder for the case file.

"Find everything okay?" the guard asked, to which she nodded.

"I did," she affirmed, a wry smirk sliding over her face. "Though, I have to say, you could do with replacing that copier. It looks like it dates back to before the Sorceress Wars."

The guard gave a hearty laugh at that, nodding in agreement. "We can get brand new cars every year, but can't find it in the budget for a decent copier. Just the way it works, I guess."

She shook her head at the notion before turning to leave again, offering a quick parting wave and a 'good night' as she exited the building. Once outside, she let out the sigh of relief that she'd been holding in, heading towards her car parked at the curb.

'_It always amazes me how easily you can get access to things by pretending you're an authority figure...' _she thought to herself, unlocking her car and sliding inside. The papers inside her jacket found their way onto the seat as she cranked the engine and roared off into the night to do a little late-night reading.

* * *

If there are any issues with any of the gun facts, I apologize; firearms are not my strong suit. I'll try and make the next chapter longer to make up for this one, as well. Until next time...


	68. II, I, IV: Making Waves

Jobs are tiring, even more so when you can't bring yourself to write while trying to relax. That is all.

Begin!

* * *

_Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit_

_Chapter IV—Making Waves  
_

* * *

[July 12, 2152 | Galbadia City, Darius DeValle, Jr.'s Residence | 1:47 AM]

* * *

Darius stifled a yawn as he stepped down the hall towards the kitchen, drearily cursing his body for betraying him at this late hour. Or was it early, he considered as he flicked the light switch and glanced at the clock on the wall. Whatever it was, it was the wrong time for such musings. He'd been unable to sleep ever since he went to bed some two or three hours ago, his mind full of thoughts of the mission and the one he loved..._had_ loved. Reaching into a cabinet, he grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap, gulping some of it down and heading for the living room. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to do, but anything had to be better than tossing and turning in bed all night. As he entered, his mind snapped a warning as he saw a figure standing in the darkness with their back to him, silhouetted by the moonlight filtering through the living room window, but relaxed again as he realized it was merely Sumiko.

That made him start wondering, of course, why _she _was also up at such a late hour.

"Darius," she said, still looking through the window out into the Galbadian streets. "Odd to see you up this late."

"Couldn't sleep," he said with a mild shrug, stepping over to take a seat on the sofa. "I could say the same about you."

"I'm more of a night person, myself," she commented, finally turning to face him. "Plus, I'm...interested in this city. It's strange to see a place where the night is more active than the day."

"Galbadia has always been like that - at least, as long as I can remember coming here," he replied. "It's the only place I know of that operates this way. Don't know if things will change with the Deling family out of the picture now, but...it'll be interesting to see what happens."

Sumiko nodded politely, walking away from the window to take a seat of her own in one of the chairs in the room. "You're more troubled by all of this than you let on, aren't you?"

Darius carefully kept his expression neutral, not wanting to share too much of his inner feelings on the matter. "...Somewhat," he finally offered, looking over at the blond girl. "I don't like the timing. It's too...I don't want to say 'convenient,' because that's not the truth. 'Coincidental' might be a little better. So many things are happening in the world now, and this just _happens _to come back up after years and years? It doesn't add up."

"I'd think you'd be happy at the chance to lay this to rest for good."

"Don't get me wrong - I'm glad that I'll finally have the chance to avenge Lindsey. But for this to happen now, of all times? I don't believe much in coincidence, luck, superstition...whatever you want to call it, but it stinks of trouble, and I don't just mean the trouble that comes along with a mission like this. I've got a bad feeling - a really big one."

He took a deep breath as he finished, leaning back into the cushions again and trying to relax. His words, emphatic as they were, still felt like an understatement to the nagging feeling he couldn't shake...hadn't been _able _to shake since he first got wind of the news. It hung around in his mind like a storm cloud, looming over his thoughts at every turn. Sumiko, meanwhile, pondered his words - she didn't share his sentiment, but that wasn't to say it was to be disregarded outright. Paranoia seemed to be a fairly common trait for SeeD officers, at least in moderation, and she couldn't entirely say that it was unfounded for them to have such feelings. Still, she tried not to dwell on the thoughts. The mood in the room was souring even more so than it was already, and there was no point in adding to mild insomnia and nerves with more negativity.

"You know, you haven't told us much of anything about Lindsey," Sumiko started, hoping to steer the conversation onto at least somewhat more pleasurable grounds. "What was she like back then?"

Inwardly, Darius winced. He'd never been good at sharing his personal feelings; Silvia and Andréa were the only ones who could usually drag those kinds of details out of him, but they were almost as close to him as sisters, Silvia especially. He warred with himself for a few long seconds about what to say or whether to say anything at all before he finally chose to speak. Maybe talking about it would help, at least in some small fashion.

"Lindsey was...well, to use the cliché, everything I wasn't. Smart, beautiful, funny...she lit up a room just by being in it, without having to do anything at all. She had a bit of a temper, though...you _really _didn't want to make her mad. She'd make you regret that really fast."

"I'm guessing that you found that out the hard way, hm?" Sumiko asked, a small smile creeping onto her face at his words. Darius let out a small chuckle, nodding.

"Oh yeah. Almost from the first time we met, actually."

"How _did _you meet, exactly? Was she in SeeD already when you met her?"

"Yeah, she was - at Galbadia. She came to Trabia for a developmental course, and I happened to need a tutor. I, ah...was pretty bad at math back then. She offered to tutor me in some things, one thing led to another, and...we started going out. Nothing big and fancy to it, really."

"Knowing you, I kind of expected to hear some long, drawn out tale involving copious sums of money exchanging hands and favors being thrown around," Sumiko jested. Darius merely shrugged at the thought of it - it may well have been the truth, had they met a few years later than they did.

"Well, Silvia did prod me a little to ask her out the first time. Not that I was afraid to, I just wasn't sure it was a good thing; back then, they used to frown on that kind of thing. Then she made me realize that it wasn't as uncommon as I thought, provided it wasn't command staff or someone in my direct chain of command. Andréa simply threatened to beat me senseless until I asked her on a date."

"So, you were friends with them back then?" Sumiko asked. She was genuinely interested in hearing more about Darius, given how little she knew about the gunslinging alchemist.

"Yup. Silvia and I, we met a long time ago, probably when we were about six or seven. Our families were still civil to each other back then, so it's definitely been a while. She's about the closest thing I have to a sister, really."

"What about Andréa?"

"I didn't meet her until she came to Garden. You could say we hit it off...literally."

"Oh?"

He chuckled again, nodding and taking another sip of his beverage. "You know, the first time we met? I actually tried to kiss her. She slugged me so hard that I had to get my Garden picture retaken after I left the infirmary. We've been friends ever since."

That got an open laugh from the blond girl - she suddenly had a mental image of Andréa punching Darius in the face and realized that it would be a perfectly normal interaction between the two, given their temperaments.

"I can't believe you would be that...forward with someone," she said, getting herself back under control with the exception of the grin which didn't want to leave just yet. "Knowing Andréa, you may have gotten off lucky."

"Oh, I should've gotten some broken bones at the least. I guess I was just too charming."

Sumiko merely shook her head in amusement - she'd also never expected Darius to be so humorous, given his normal attitude about things. Maybe, she thought to herself, she was seeing a bit of the Darius that existed before Lindsey died...a little more of the person he actually was before he buried that part of himself under all the hurt it caused. She found herself stifling a yawn moments later, finally seeming to be tired, and Darius couldn't help but follow suit as his body continued to demand a ceasing of physical activity.

"...Thanks," he remarked, setting the glass down on the coffee table in front of him. "I think you might've been right."

"About what?"

"I think I needed to talk about this some...get some things off my chest, remember the good times. If I lose that, I don't have anything left...not of Lindsey, or my past."

"You're in a bad spot, Darius," Sumiko said with a nod, leaning forward in her seat. "It's not easy, but you're moving forward. Sometimes, that's really all you can hope to do...just go forward, and see what's down the road."

"You're certainly one to talk about moving forward," Darius countered with a smirk. "When are you going to finally go ahead and ask him out already?"

"W-What?" Sumiko stammered, eyes widening a fraction as she found herself caught completely off guard by the shift in topic. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about - and believe me, if _I _can see it? Everyone can see it."

Without waiting for a response, he stood up from his seat and grabbed the glass of water in one fluid motion, downing the rest of it as he made his way back towards the kitchen. "Think it over," he called, a quiet 'clink' sounding from the kitchen as he dropped the glass in the sink and headed back down the hall towards his room. Sumiko suddenly found herself very alone in the room, with only her thoughts to keep her company...thoughts she'd not expected to find herself contemplating at this hour.

"That was dirty," she murmured to herself, leaning back in the chair and looking up at the ceiling in a daze. "Then again, it's Darius...I really should have seen it coming."

* * *

As morning broke and the nightlife of Galbadia City started to retreat to their homes with the arrival of the sun's first rays, Darius' SeeD group were finding themselves embroiled in the details of mission plans, hoping to maximize their efficiency without sacrificing safety. While Andréa, Naoki, Sumiko, and Silvia weren't terribly concerned about being the targets of any ill-doing outside of what a civilian in their position might bring, Darius and Revolver knew better. The DeValle family owned large portions of businesses and housing in the city, and even though the Deling family's influence seemed decisively crippled, neither one held any assumptions about who might decide to call in a favor for some slight against the family, real or otherwise, and interfere. Not to mention that if any of them were seen with either of the DeValle brothers, they would be at risk of picking up a reputation of association with the family and the problems that it brought.

"So, it'll be me, Revolver, and Andréa," Darius said, looking over the gathered members of his team with a focused expression. "We'll head out and meet with my contact, while the three of you head down to the local police station and find what you can regarding records of Lindsey's murder. I had dad make sure that we'd be okay to check things out there, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem unless you run into some snotty clerk or something."

"And if we do?" Naoki asked.

"Then we'll find some other way to get what we want," Darius said with a shrug. "I've got a lot of people in this city who owe me a lot of favors. If that doesn't work...we'll improvise. I'm good at that."

"Always eager to play things by ear," Andréa commented from beside him. "You haven't changed a bit since I met you."

"It's what keeps things interesting in the world of business," Darius remarked. "It's no fun if everything's guaranteed, after all." He shot a glance at his GLD to note the time, looking back up a moment later at his team. "Any questions?" Seconds passed, but no one made a move to ask anything, and Darius nodded in reply. "I say we get to it, then. Daylight's wasting."

* * *

[July 12, 2152 | Galbadia City, Rubedo's Café | 9:16 AM]

* * *

Andréa's cloth-covered eyes kept a careful 'watch' on their surroundings as they walked down the street towards Rubedo's, the DeValle family-owned coffee shop where Darius had decided to meet his contact for a chat. The small café was surprisingly popular for its size even before the DeValle family had acquired it, and Darius found himself making a visit to it almost every time he brought himself to the area. He'd once asked Rubedo Alaberti if there was any particular reason why the store shared his name, but he'd never gotten a straight answer from the boy, leaving him to wonder whether he was named after the shop, the shop was named after _him, _or if the whole thing was some amusing coincidence.

The lack of attention was a good thing, she reasoned - either no one noticed who they were, no one cared, or no one was particularly fond of having their face beaten to a pulp in broad daylight. Most people, regardless of the animosity they held towards the DeValle family, weren't keen on attacking a known SeeD officer and alchemist without either a plan, some seriously stacked numbers in their favor, or - better yet - both. Any would-be muggers or the like who weren't likely to know or care who they were...well, she supposed it would make their time in the city interesting if one happened to be brave.

A bell tinkled softly at the door ahead of them as Darius pushed it open, the red-haired boy stopping to hold it for Andréa and his brother before letting it swing shut and turning his attention to the counter.

"Still running this place, huh, Roland?"

The man behind the counter, a burly man with a balding head and a scar that stretched from his left cheek down towards his jawline, chuckled as Darius approached, leaning one arm onto the polished wood.

"Yeah, something like that. Either keep working or be broke when I retire, you know - not much choice there. Gonna get your usual?"

"Think so," he replied, looking back at Andréa and Revolver. "You guys want anything?"

"I'm fine," Andréa said, while Revolver simply shook his head in refusal.

"Suit yourselves," Darius stated, leaving Roland to deal with his order as he scanned the mostly-empty room for the one he was looking for, finding him a moment later. He motioned for the pair to follow him as he walked over to one of the corner booths and slid a chair out for himself. "Sergei - it's been a while, pal."

The blond man across from him simply nodded, reaching up and adjusting the glasses he wore as he watched the two DeValle sons and their companion sit down with him. He picked up a small item from the table, some kind of pocket-sized device with a small keyboard attached, before starting to type.

"Yes, it has," the device displayed to the trio, a holographic display appearing from the top of the handheld device as the man finished typing to show the words. Revolver looked at the device with interest for a moment before the reason for its presence caught his eye - a nasty-looking scar across most of the man's throat that appeared to be a very old wound, and not one that had been a very clean cut, either. Apparently, his throat - and voice - had been damaged somehow in the past, hence the need for the device's assistance. "You've been well, I see," Sergei typed after the first message vanished.

"Eh...I've had some ups and downs, really, but that's just part of the game," Darius replied. "Let me introduce you - this is Revolver, my brother, and Andréa Beoulve, a close friend of mine."

"Good to meet you," Andréa said, nodding to Sergei. Revolver offered only a rather gruff nod at the introduction, causing Darius to roll his eyes.

"He's a bit of a grouch, so don't mind him too much," Darius remarked, grinning as he watched Roland walk to the table with his drink. He took the saucer and cup offered to him carefully, noting the steam rising from the beverage, and took a careful sip of the drink before nodding in satisfaction. "Hazelnut macchiato," he explained, gesturing to the cup. "You should have one sometime - it'll change your life. Really."

Sergei chuckled, a rasping noise that sounded more like a strangled series of gasps than laughter, before turning his attention back to the device in his hand. "How can I be of service, then?"

"You used to be one of the best snipers in the Galbadian military before you deserted. You've been in the shadows here for years. I want to know who you might know of that could make an accurate kill shot from a thousand meters."

Sergei's face drew into a frown as he considered the question. He'd seen a lot of people over the years who were excellent shots, but a shot from that distance was almost as much a factor of luck as it was skill. It took impressive prediction abilities, an intricate knowledge of the effect of wind and other variables on the caliber being fired, and just a hint of madness and willingness to defy the odds to pull off a shot of that range. He himself would've been willing to try years ago, but age had dulled his senses just enough to start being a burden on his skills.

"I can think of three," he wrote back after a minute or two of contemplation. "Joseph Brady. William Mercer. Fiona Carmichael. There are some others, but I have my doubts that they have the skill you're asking about."

"What do you know about them?"

"Beyond the obvious? Not much. I've been out of the game too long to keep track of any of them beyond rumors and the occasional tidbit. Brady is the oldest, so I would say he may have the most skill simply by experience, but I think that Carmichael is the most dangerous. Mercer is too unpredictable for me to really make any claims on."

"Why Carmichael?"

"There's something about her that is just unnerving. Rumor has it that people who get close to her, friend or not, tend to wind up missing. I don't mean missing as in 'wind up floating at the docks later,' either - I mean 'gone without a trace.' It's as if they cease to exist as a person."

Andréa tilted her head skeptically. "No one can just make people vanish into thin air without leaving some kind of trail." Even as she spoke, however, she gave Darius a glance as well, hoping that he was thinking the same thing she was. It wasn't technically impossible, per se, but Planeswalking was the closest thing she could think of to what Sergei was describing, and even that left a noticeable amount of residual energy that could be detected by the magically-attuned - even if those who weren't Planeswalkers wouldn't truly understand the nature of the energy beyond that it was some form of teleportation magic.

"I have heard stories that suggest otherwise. Investigating the ones who vanished turns up nothing. I have no desire to get too close and wind up one of those examples myself."

Darius merely smirked in reply. "We're SeeD, Sergei. We do the impossible on a daily basis. Don't worry about winding up a memory - we'll check things out ourselves. Anything else you can think of that might help?"

"Sadly, I cannot think of anything else. Just be wary, my friend. Any one of these people is well-connected and highly skilled. Even a DeValle should take them seriously."

"I will," Darius said, his face completely serious in contrast to mere moments before. "If you get into trouble, let me know. I'll find some way to bail you out of it."

Sergei nodded, typing one last thing on his display as Darius got up from his seat.

"Good hunting."

Andréa and Revolver followed Darius back towards the door, the youngest DeValle son only stopping briefly to drop some Gil on the counter for his drink and say a hasty farewell to the barista before stepping back out onto the streets and reaching for his GLD. Flipping it open, he sent a simple message to Silvia, who was leading the other half of his team.

"_When you get to the station, see if you can get me anything on any of these three - Joseph Brady, William Mercer, and Fiona Carmichael. Criminal background, biographies, whatever you can."_

Darius suddenly had to fight down a fervent bit of anger that bubbled up within him. If only he'd had the connections back then that he did now, business and otherwise...maybe he could've done more then to find out what happened. The rational part of his mind told him that was a fool's thought, however. His father had done just that when Lindsey had been killed, faring no better than he had...and his father had been more well-connected back then than he was even now. Dwelling on what could have been would get him nowhere now. It was time to keep moving forward and see what turned up. Puzzles were not solved instantly, after all, but one small piece at a time.

* * *

This chapter...irked me. I could see the scene in my head for the longest time, but I simply could not put dialogue to it no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I realized that I was stressing too much over it instead of just writing what came to mind, and things got better.


End file.
